Feral Bonds
by Rorax
Summary: In the mountains of Colorado, the Xmen uncover a secret that will change their world forever.
1. Default Chapter

FERAL BONDS  
  
Disclimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the x-men. This is for fun, nothing more.  
  
"Gawd, not today" came from Rogue as she watched the train wreck of a day get even worse as Lance once again tried to get Kitty to go on a date with him. For the third time. Today.  
  
Rogue sighed.  
  
Again.  
  
Loudly.  
  
Kitty's valley-girl voice floated over the din of the mid-break hallway. "Like, are you even listening to me? I said like no!"  
  
Lance, unperturbed by this seeming act of denial on Kitty's part said, "Come on babe, you know we are perfect together, you remember how well we meshed when your powers came out."  
  
Rogue debated weather or not sticking around was worth listening to Lance make an ass out of himself in public again, or if she would just deal with Kitty's whining that she got left behind.  
  
Rogue slammed her locker door closed and stalked down the hall. Shoving an unlucky freshman out of her way, she grabbed Lance's shirt and slammed him into the wall.  
  
"Listen to mah Alvers, leave Kitty alone or ah'm gonna put yah bahk in the gawd damn hospital again. YA HEAR MEH?"  
  
Normally, this declaration would have caught the attention of at least a few passing students, but then again, they had gotten used to what had become called "Rogueisims" by the student council.  
  
"Hey Rogue, little respect for an old teammate here?"  
  
"Piss off Alvers. You ain't mah teammate, and you ain't mah friend, so just scram before I get mad"  
  
Lance looked at Rogue's eyes and saw the dancing spark or flame in them and wisely decided that today was not a good day to die, so he made the first intelligent decision of the week..  
  
"Sure Roguey, whatever." He mock rolled his eyes. "Don't worry Kitty, I'll call you later"  
  
And with that, he beat a hasty retreat as the bell rang. Rogue and Kitty just stood in the rapidly clearing hallway. Neither of them saying anything that would break the companionable silence.  
  
But of course, Kitty being Kitty, couldn't let something like a companionable silence live, spoke out.  
  
"Like thanks Rogue. I was getting like totally angry at him."  
  
Rogue kept her mouth shut, thinking of the look she had started to see on Kitty's face just before she had jumped in.  
  
--Kitty almost looked as though she was....snarling.--  
  
"You like, ok there Rogue?"  
  
Rogue's attention snapped back to the spunky mutant that she had been rooming with since she came to the X-men. She shifted into her standard confident "I don't give a damn" pose and smirked at Kitty.  
  
"Of course ah'm fine, takes more than Alvers to screw meh up."  
  
Kitty just stared at Rogue for a second, trying to find what made her so confident.  
  
--God, I wish I had her confidence-- Kitty thought dejectedly.  
  
"Thanks again Rogue, I like owe you one." Kitty smiled and tore off down the hallway to yet another class.  
  
Somewhere in the mountains of Colorado  
  
"Congratulations Dr. Sorenson, Home Watch is most defiantly impressed with the progress you are getting with the new Weapon project. There is even talk that Secretary Douglas is revising his statement about you being a poor risk after your failure in Canada."  
  
Dr. Sorenson tore his eyes off the final setup for the last implantation procedure and dragged out his best political smile.  
  
"Thank you General, the Secretary's tolerance has been invaluable in the reconstitution of the Weapon X program here in the States" -You pompous ass, you Home Watch cretins don't know what you're dealing with here. Mutants in the military? A fantasy I've created to get funding.- His eyes slid over to another monitor in the console. -Oh yes, with the Mk2 program almost complete, I'll have created the perfect mutant hunter!-  
  
The monitor showed a brightly lit cage covered with filth. His eyes blazed with determination when they fell on the lump of flesh that was in the corner, barely moving.  
  
"After today General, there will only be one more implantation procedure to finish and the Mk2 will be online and operational." The scientist remarked.  
  
Men moved towards the cage, armed with tranquilizer guns. They ignored the suddenly snarling body as it tore itself off the floor and lunged at the bars. The rifles barked as one and the body smashed to the floor, still as death. The attendants removed the subject and left the screen.  
  
"We already have the secure base prepped for it's training once you are done Doctor." the silence stretched for a few seconds before the General continued, "This time the subject is secure correct? We don't want a repeat of Canada Doctor."  
  
Dr. Sorenson winced as he was once again reminded of the escape of his previous subject from the original Weapon X experiment. -Wolverine-  
  
"Don't worry General, this location is totally secure." He rapped his knuckles against the glass separating them from the implantation lab. "Take this window for example, twenty-eight inches of hardened bulletproof glass that sandwiches four inches of BakeLite tactical foam. Not even the Oval Office is more secure than this room."  
  
Just then, a gurney is maneuvered into the lab with an unconscious form laying on it. The attendants roll the subject to an almost vertical harness and strap him in spread-eagled and with his arms straight out to the sides.  
  
The General's eyebrow arched and he asked "How exactly do you restrain it? From the data we were given, the subject's enhanced healing factor would make him operationally immune to sedatives."  
  
Sorenson's face instantly slid into a grin as he explained. "It's actually pretty easy to render him immobile when you know his genetic structure to the last base-pair General. And in all actuality, he's not sedated. You are correct, it wouldn't be practical to use a sedative on him, so we had to improvise."  
  
"How so Doctor?" The smile the doctor had was starting to unnerve the General, there was more than a small hint of madness peeking out from behind his eyes as he spoke now.  
  
"As I said, it's pretty simple. We don't use a sedative, we use a neurotoxin."  
  
"And that doesn't damage the subject?"  
  
"No General, it doesn't. Well, it does. The particular neurotoxin we use is exceedingly painful as it destroys the nerves in it's spinal column."  
  
"You say that like it doesn't matter Doctor. Spinal nerve damage is serious."  
  
Sorenson just waved off the General's concern and continued. "Using the toxin has multiple benefits for us here General. First, it's fast acting. Second, it's the only thing that will incapacitate it for more than a few seconds. Third, the subject never actually looses consciousness. And fourth, the subject has no long-term effects from the nerve damage. The enhancements we put into it's healing factor clear up the damage in 15 minutes at the high end." Sorenson broke off as the scientists finished their setup and picked up their tools.  
  
He smiled. "Well General, here is the moment you have traveled here to see, the implantation of adnamantium into a living body." His smile grew even larger.  
  
The General stared into the lab. Speechless as he saw the subject start to move again.  
  
"You are positive it is secure in there Doctor correct?"  
  
Sorenson sneered and said. "Of course I am General. We have done this before."  
  
The General saw the scientists pick up the scalpels and start the incisions and he swallowed hard. "What kind of anesthetic do you use on it? You said it burned sedatives out of it's system too fast."  
  
A sharp bark erupted from Sorenson's mouth. "Anesthetic? You are correct General when you say that the subject burns it out of it's system too fast to be practical. So we took the easy route, we don't bother with anesthetic."  
  
The General's face turned white. "So you are vivisecting it with zero painkiller?"  
  
Sorenson glanced at the General with a quizzical expression on his face. "Of course we are. It's just a mutant. In fact, is just a mutant that WE made. Who cares if we give it anesthetic or not?"  
  
The General's eyes were locked on the now screaming and writhing figure in the next room. He followed each and every movement of the scalpels as they tore skin and muscle from bone and were attached to clamps on the harness.  
  
--My God, are they spreading it's.no, not it's.his chest open?-  
  
The General caught a glance of a bloody hand winding a thick strip of metal around the boy's ribs and was forced to turn away when he saw the bluish-white glare of a welding torch spark.  
  
The last thing he noticed was that the boy never stopped screaming.  
  
Back at the Mansion  
  
Logan strolled into Xavier's office after getting a page while he was teaching a self-defense class in the danger room.  
  
"What is it Chuck, I was busy. Those kids aren't gonna train themselves"  
  
Xavier mearly shook his head at Logan's gruff exterior. "We might have a new mutant on our hands Logan. Cerebro has been picking up intermittent signals from somewhere in Colorado. Unfortunately, it's not able to give any more information."  
  
"So..what? Is Cerebro broken again? Or is Half-Pint screwing around with the mansion?"  
  
A chuckle escaped Xavier's lips. "Kitty was my first suspect, but no, she had nothing to do with it. I had Ororo run a full diagnostic on Cerebro and everything is functioning normally. It just seems as though the mutant is in our world for just a few seconds before it disappears again."  
  
Logan flopped down on a couch and stuck his trademark cigar into the corner of his mouth before replying. "So it's another porter like Kurt?"  
  
Xavier sighed. "I don't honestly know Logan. I would like to say no because Kurt is only gone for a fraction of a second between his teleports, and this mutant is gone for hours at a time." his hands started rubbing his temples "And there is another concern. When I try to contact them, the only thing I can determine is that the mutant is in pain, great pain."  
  
Logan chewed on the cigar, lost in his own thoughts about the mutant.  
  
--Another porter like the elf. Great. Wait a sec..-  
  
"You said somewhere in Colorado Chuck. Where exactly in Colorado are they?"  
  
Xavier sighed. "I honestly don't know Logan. Cerebro is unable to narrow the search down any further due to the intermittent contact we are getting. But I am worried. The mutant is in pain. We need to locate him or her as soon as possible."  
  
"Well, don't know what you expect me to do about it Chuck. But I'll get the team ready for another `field trip`. I got a feeling we're gonna be heading out soon.  
  
"I hope so Logan, I dearly hope so." And Xavier turned back to Cerebro. 


	2. Chapter 2

Feral Bonds CH2  
  
At the Mansion  
  
The sound of a pop can opening and a cloud of sulpherous smoke, a pint sized demon flashed into existence next to Kitty's desk.  
  
"Hallo Katzhten." Kurt smiled and leaned on the desk.  
  
Kitty leaped to her feet and snapped her eyes over to her personal tormentor. "CAN'T YOU EVER JUST KNOCK!" She screamed at him.  
  
Kurt, taken aback from the unexpected verbal assault, waved his hands innocently and tried to forestall another barrage. "Storm sent me to get you for dinner, she doesn't want you to forget again."  
  
Still simmering, Kitty kept on the offensive. "I could have been like, changing my clothes Kurt! Does ANYONE here have ANY concept of like personal space at ALL?" --Finally, I get five seconds to myself and what happens? Blueboy here decides it's his personal mission in life to get on my nerves.-  
  
"It's ok Kitty, I was just trying to help. People are starting to wonder if you are ok, you aren't eating much." Kurt continued to wave his hands, trying to placate her.  
  
Kitty grabbed her forelocks and grimaced before slowly opening her eyes and looking Kurt in the eyes. Kurt noticed that her upper lip was starting to curl back and her eyes were half-lidded.  
  
"Ok, like listen to me Kurt. New rules. One, don't come in my room without knocking." She held up a second finger. "Two, NO BAMFING to right in front of me." Another finger raised. "Three.....I'll come down and eat when I FEEL like it." Her hand flexed her fingers into a claw. "Got it Kurt? I'm SICK of this!"  
  
Wide-eyed from the completely uncharacteristic outburst from the normally perky mutant, Kurt stepped back two steps quickly. "Jah Kitty, I didn't mean to intrude." And with that, Kurt exploded in a cloud of smoke leaving Kitty breathing heavily.  
  
Kitty drew a long shuddering breath and smoothed her hair back into it's normal state. -Calm Kitty, just calm down. You know he didn't mean it...again.- She quietly let the air out, feeling the tension and anger seep out of her mind. Sighing quietly, she turned back to her homework.  
  
Downstairs  
  
The Dinner table was it's normal bundle of chaotic energy. Scott trying to impose order on the teens. Jean trying to calm down a dispute over the last chicken leg. Evan chugging down a gallon of milk while fending off Amara. And Rogue just stirring her mashed potatoes around her plate.  
  
Professor Xavier and Ororo just smiled and watched their students in one of their few trouble-free moments. Logan just glanced around the table once and ended the chicken debate with a claw rammed through the leg in question and a smirk.  
  
Kurt teleported into the dining room and carefully made his way to his seat. Ororo noticed the shell-shocked expression on his face and frowned. "Kurt, is Kitty on her way down to dinner?" Her frown deepened when Kurt just walked past her and sat down gingerly in his chair.  
  
"Kurt, did you hear me?" Storm asked slightly sharply.  
  
Kurt's eyes snapped to Ororo's face. "I'm sorry Ms. Munroe, I didn't hear you. What did you say?"  
  
Xavier's attention was drawn by the tone of Storm's voice. Looking at Kurt, his brows lowered sharply and concern washed over his face. "Kurt, are you feeling well?"  
  
Kurt blinked slowly a few times before responding. "Jah Professor, I'm fine. I was just thinking. And Ms. Munroe, I did talk to Kitty, but I don't think she will be down tonight."  
  
"Well Kurt, perhaps we should discuss this after dinner. Storm, why don't you and Kurt come by my office later." Kurt and Storm both looked at each other and nodded.  
  
Professor's office  
  
The Professor folded his hands in front of his chin and looked over at the two people sitting in chairs in his office.  
  
"Well Kurt, what happened at dinner? You looked disturbed." His eyes stared right into Kurt's yellow orbs.  
  
"Well Professor, I was just thinking I guess. It's not like that happens every day." Kurt realized what he said and shut his mouth with a click.  
  
Storm jumped into the sudden silence. "Child, what happened? Does this have something to do with Kitty?"  
  
Kurt, hoping that the Professor would say something so he could keep quiet was disappointed when Xavier interjected. "Yes Kurt, what exactly did happen?"  
  
Sighing, Kurt folded his hands over his knees and started talking. "You see, Ms. Munroe sent me up to get Kitty for dinner because she didn't show up last couple nights and I guess was kind of concerned about it. So I ported up there like I always do.." Xavier barely contained a snicker at that, recalling the few times he'd seen Kurt port right next to Kitty. "..and she just exploded at me! I barely got a hello out when she was screaming at me and I swear to god in heaven that she was snarling!"  
  
The Professor nodded. He has been sensing short but intense bursts of rage from Kitty the last couple of weeks. Not wanting to embarrass her, he decided to take a look into this himself and quiet Kurt's concerns. "Kurt, I believe Kitty is just going through some new developments in her mutation. She should be fine once she works it out. I'm sure that she didn't mean to lash out at" Xavier's speech was drowned out as the alarms on Cerebro flared into angry life.  
  
Xavier's hands flew to his temples with a grimace as he wheeled over to the computer's helmet. His obvious pain wasn't lost on anyone. He picked up the helmet and sat it on his head. Kurt and Storm moved to his sides and tried to read the flickering screen  
  
/New Mutant Acquired/  
  
/Tracking in Progress/  
  
/Mutant signature lost/  
  
/Mutant signature reacquired, initiating tracking/  
  
*Tracking failure*  
  
/Mutant signature locked/  
  
Data began scrolling on the screen far too quickly for anyone not connected to Cerebro to read.  
  
Kurt ventured a question. "Is that normal? I've never heard of Cerebro having a problem locating a mutant like that." Storm glanced at the elf, "Neither have I Kurt."  
  
Silence reigned in the office for the next 15 minutes as the Professor struggled to wring what information he could out of Cerebro. Jean burst into the office and headed straight for the terminal with Scott and Evan trailing behind her.  
  
Jean halted her jog next to Kurt and leaned over Xavier's shoulder. "Professor, did you feel that?"  
  
The professor sighed and placed the helmet back on it's stand. rubbing his eyes, he turned to the young telepath. "Yes Jean, I did feel it. It also set off Cerebro's alarms."  
  
"Yes professor, but did you FEEL what that was?" Jean said with her brows drawn down in concentration.  
  
"I am aware of what the telepathic..pulse contained, but I don't think either of us could explain it to the rest of the team." Xavier's eyes bored into Jean's.  
  
*They don't need to hear it Jean.*  
  
*But Professor..*  
  
*No Jean, I think it's for the best if we don't worry some of the newer members here*  
  
The professor pointed behind her at the gathering crowd of new students in the doorway.  
  
*Ok Professor.*  
  
The Professor's fingers went to his temple for a moment before he opened his eyes and turned to Scott. "Scott, it's getting late, why don't you get the rest of the students to their rooms and come back, we have some things to discuss when Logan gets here."  
  
Scott slid into his 'leader mode' and escorted the new recruits off.  
  
He returned shortly with Kitty in tow. Kurt quickly glanced at her and sighed inwardly when he noticed that she was acting more like her normal self.  
  
"So Professor, like what's the big rush? I was halfway through this massively big history report." Kitty cheerfully said, obviously not caring one bit about being torn away from her homework.  
  
Xavier smiled. "I'm sure we can overlook one report Kitty, there are other things we need to focus on tonight."  
  
The student's all gaped at the Professor, he NEVER, EVER, allowed homework to slide. Scott decided to end the fruitless discussion of schoolwork and get the information on the mission they were obviously here for. "Can you tell us what this mission is going to entail Professor?"  
  
Xavier turned towards Scott. "Why don't we wait for Logan Scott, I only want to go over this once tonight."  
  
Scott's face slightly sunk at once again being overruled in favor of Logan, but snapped back into leader mode the next instant. "Everyone, take a seat, this could be a while."  
  
Five minutes later, the oak door to the office shot open and Logan strolled in. The students noticed that he looked slightly disheveled, even for him. Evan's eyes scrunched shut and waved his hands in front of his nose to try to dissipate the alcohol fumes pouring off Logan.  
  
The Professor took note of Logan's condition and decided to sit it aside for another time as he didn't appear to actually be drunk.  
  
Logan tore his jacket off and flopped down in a chair. He tossed his jacket into a corner and fixed Xavier with his eyes. "What's the emergency Chuck, the cops aren't gonna appreciate me tearing down the road at 120mph."  
  
Xavier just nodded. "Logan, Cerebro got a lock on the mutant from last night." The teams attention was riveted now, Cerebro never took a day to lock onto a mutant.  
  
"The porter?" All eyes turned to Kurt, who visibly brightened.  
  
"A porter like me? I wonder if he looks like me and if.." Logan cut Kurt off visiously.  
  
"Can it elf, this ain't got nothing to do with you." Kurt's ears sank.  
  
Xavier picked up the thread of conversation. "No Kurt, I don't think this does have anything to do with you. In fact, I don't even think that the mutant is a teleporter. Their signature does disappear, but it's gone for long periods of time per disappearance." His eyes narrowed. "And there is another concern, Cerebro can't give me any more information besides their location. Not even weather it's a he or she."  
  
Scott broke in. "So who is going to do the meet and greet Professor? I think that Jean, Kurt, and Myself would be the most sound group for an unknown like this."  
  
Xavier took a deep breath. "Scott, that is a good idea, but.." Logan snorted, gaining a glare from Scott. "..there are additional..concerns with this mission."  
  
Evan spoke up. "Like what Prof? We head in. Say Hi. Have Scott read them the brocure, and head back. What's the problem." Xavier grinned slightly. "It's much more complicated than that Evan. This mutant isn't in a city, we detected it deep in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. There is no sign of civilization in the area. Also, I have been getting..disturbing impressions from the mutant when I try to contact them."  
  
Ororo opened her mouth to respond when Scott's voice sliced in. "What kind of impressions Professor? Is this mutant dangerous?"  
  
Xavier inwardly sighed. "No Scott. All I can gather when I scan their mind is an overwhelming sensation of pain. I think that whoever this is was on a hiking trip and became injured, thus triggering their mutation. I'm going to send the entire team out on this mission. I believe that it will be a rescue and we all need the practice."  
  
Scott stood up and straightened his back. "We're on our way Professor. X- men, suit up."  
  
The team filed out of the room as Xavier stopped Logan. "Be careful old friend, I don't think that this mission is going to turn out like we all hope."  
  
Logan grinned. "Do they ever Charles?" 


	3. Chapter 3

Feral Bonds CH3  
  
Disclaimer is the same as chapter 1. blah blah blah  
  
Somewhere in the Rocky Mountains  
  
A deer grazes peacefully in a mountain meadow covered with fresh wildflowers and cut into by a bubbling stream. Glancing around to check for predators, the deer finds nothing. It continues on with its feeding, content that it is in no danger and thus continues the cycle of life.  
  
Some people would find this scene idyllic, others would find it just peaceful, and others find it with an illegally modified SR-71 Blackbird.  
  
The X-jet slowly lowered itself down into the clearing. As it settles down, a ramp extends from the bottom and touches the ground, spilling voices from the interior.  
  
Scott starts walking down the ramp rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, I said I was sorry."  
  
Kitty stalks after him, smacking him in the back of the head again just for good measure. "Right Scott. You like scared the crap out of Bambi there."  
  
The only sound heard is a chorus of snickers.  
  
Evan unwisely decided to interject his own comment. "Yea Scott, who knows, you might have given Bambi a heart attack." The snickering grows louder than ever.  
  
Kitty turned her gaze back to the thorny mutant, eyes blazing. "I'm totally sure that we should have like a little respect here. This isn't our home, it's theirs."  
  
Scott, deciding that he was finished with being berated for a simple mistake, took charge of the team. "Ok, this is a mission people. Let's get some people out on recon. Storm, you try to get us an aerial view. Rogue, Spyke, you two follow that stream. Kurt, you and Kitty check along the cliff we saw on the way in, they could have fallen. Jean, you are with me. Wolverine, you..." He trailed off as he saw Logan disappear into the underbrush.  
  
Jean just gave him a pat on the shoulder as the rest of the team headed off in their assigned directions.  
  
Storm wove the winds around herself as she glided across the valley. Reveling in the purity of the area, she scanned the ground for any traces of a hiker. As she crested the top of a hill, she drew to a stop. There was a road. She tapped her communicator. "Cyclops, I've found a road that wasn't on the map."  
  
A "Where Storm?" came buzzing out of the device.  
  
"Two miles north of where we landed. It looks recently used."  
  
"Ok. See if you can find any vehicles. Everyone else, meet at Storm's location."  
  
30 minutes later  
  
Evan came stumbling onto the road from the thick layer of underbrush. "They really need to pave this place."  
  
The rest of the assembled team just stared at him for a moment then Scott continued on with the briefing. "From what we have been able to determine, multiple jeeps came up this road is the past few days."  
  
Rogue spoke up while fighting a smirk. "Yea, and it's a road, cars go on roads, are we really surprised at this?"  
  
Scott glared at her before continuing. "Yes, on a road that is supposed to exist we do expect it. But this road isn't on any maps we have found."  
  
Logan suddenly started sniffing the air around them. His brows shot down and he started growling.  
  
Storm put a hand on his shoulder. "What is it Wolverine?"  
  
Logan started heading up the road. "Stay here. I smell oil."  
  
Rogue rolled her eyes again. "Cars use oil Logan." She flinched when Logan caught her in his stare. "Yea Stripes, but not gun oil, and not that much." He suddenly sprung into the forest and vanished.  
  
Scott started to follow when Jean stopped him. "He said wait here Cyclops. I don't like the sound of him finding gun oil."  
  
In the forest  
  
Logan slid through the forest, making no more sound than the wind in the trees. Stopping to sniff, he heads unerringly towards a smell he knows all too well. Jumping over a stream, he gently parts a bush.and starts growling.  
  
From his vantage point, he sees a utilitarian concrete compound surrounded by a security perimeter laced with razor wire and guards. Taking note of their movements, he notices a humvee with a USMC stamped on the side in white paint.  
  
All at once, it clicks in his mind.  
  
Images of his time as an experiment flash through his mind. He shudders and backs away through the underbrush.  
  
Scott is back at the road fuming. -Wolverine should start listening to orders, I am the team leader.-- Jean chuckles as she overhears the morose thought. "It's ok Scott, he does what he does best."  
  
Scott starts to retort but is interrupted by the hiss of the communicator. "One-Eye, we have a problem.  
  
Scott, wrapping his voice in authority. "What is it Wolverine?"  
  
A crackle from the device. "It's a base."  
  
Silence slams down on the group. Scott swallows and continues. "What kind of base Wolverine?"  
  
"What do you think Scooter? United States Marine Corp base. You know, the secret kind." Logan sarcastically responds.  
  
Scott frowns. "Jean, see if you can contact the mutant, it might work now that we are closer."  
  
Jean places her fingers on her temples and concentrates.  
  
Her mind ranges out into the world. Flying through a storm of memories and thoughts, she homes in on the mutant. Gingerly touching it's mind, she reels back in horror at what she sees. She pans around the cage, seeing the drying waste and filthy rags strewn across the bottom of the cage. She can see out of the corner of -his, it's a he-eyes two soldiers seated at a table playing cards. Unable to connect to his hearing, she tries to speak to him. --I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Jean, what's happening.-- All she got back was a wordless grunt and she felt his mind pushing at hers, attempting to force her out. She sees the scene wildly whip around as the mutant starts thrashing around in the cage. For just an instant, she sees a person in a white lab coat run into the room and say something to the now laughing marines. The marines picked up two rifles and fired at the mutant.  
  
Jean is slammed back into her own body as a bloodcurdling scream tears itself out of her throat and she collapses to the ground.  
  
Scott quickly kneels down and supports her head. "Jean! What the hell just happened?"  
  
Jean gulps air as she starts shivering. Tears work their way down her cheeks leaving wet trails in their wake. She opens her eyes and stares into Scott's eyes before croaking out, "They're torturing him."  
  
The rest of the team gasps and Kitty swallows thickly before breaking the silence. "Like what do you mean, torture? Are you sure? People don't really do that do they?" Her eyes had taken on a disbelieving look. The others nodded like they were agreeing with her.  
  
Jean rolled onto her knees and spit out a glob of blood from where she bit her tongue. "They have him in a cage Kitty, they SHOT him, and they were laughing when they did it." Even Scott hissed a breath when he heard this.  
  
The Professors mental voice boomed in their heads. -X-men, with this new information, it's imperative that we rescue this mutant before the base personnel kill him."  
  
Scott helps Jean to her feet and turns towards the others. "You heard the professor, let's go." 


	4. Chapter 4

Feral Bonds CH4  
  
Disclaimer: This chapter is gonna be rated R for violence. Be forewarned and if you don't like that sort of thing, I'm amazed you've read this far. (jk) but seriously, if you don't like it, don't read it.  
  
Outside the base  
  
Scott lowered the binoculars and frowned. The complex loomed at the junction of two hills. Spread out over 2 acres, the concrete buildings were just utilitarian enough to be disturbing. They seemed new, so hopefully whoever the mutant was, he hadn't been there too long. He swallowed again and tried to clear his head of the images that Jean had planted there. He could understand distrust of mutants, even comprehend hatred, But he could not understand what could make not only one person, but also an entire group set out on what appeared to be a deliberate routine of torture.  
  
With a last glance at the base, Logan turned and watched the kids. Taking in Scott's frown and Jean's pale face, he started to wonder if they were really ready to see what he suspected was inside the installation. He'd had too many years or exposure to so called 'secret' government projects through S.H.I.E.L.D and what he could remember of the war. Too many people using the excuse of 'it's my duty', and 'It's for the good of my country.' to indulge themselves in their baser instincts. Too many people he had called friend had died because of that.  
  
"Hey One-Eye, you just gonna sit there? Or are we going to go in?" Logan watched the ruby-visored boy carefully.  
  
Scott glanced back at Evan and Kitty and took a deep breath. "We are going to sit here until I can come up with a plan that doesn't involve someone getting killed Wolverine."  
  
Logan let out a snort. "Kid, this isn't the local popsicle stand. This is a top-secret military installation. I doubt that we are going to be able to bypass that security..." Logan waved his hands at the multiple guard patrols crisscrossing the kill-zone behind the fence. ".. without someone ending up bleeding."  
  
Scott clenched his teeth in frustration. -Logan's right.- He turned and took in his team.  
  
Jean was sitting with her back against a tree with her hands massaging her temples. -Jean looks peaked, I don't know if she's going to be able to help much unless she gets a rest.-  
  
Evan was staring off into the trees, seemingly lost in thought. -Evan has been pretty quiet, I just hope that he doesn't freeze up inside.-  
  
Kitty was sitting on her haunches gazing out onto the base, eyes half- lidded in concentration. -Kitty's been acting pretty strange the past week, but she's been scoring better in the Danger Room sessions. She should be ok.-  
  
Kurt was hanging upside down from a tree branch and watching the group with uncharacteristic silence. -Kurt's been doing well in the Danger Room, as long as he follows orders, he'll be ok.-  
  
Rogue was leaning back against a rock and wasn't looking too happy about it. -Well, as long as she doesn't get too out of control, she could come in handy.-  
  
Storm was standing motionless next to Jean, offing her own brand of comfort to the aching telepath. -Storm is Storm, I don't see any problems there.-  
  
And lastly, Wolverine. The short mutant was crouched next to the summit of the hill, sniffing the wind and glaring at the base, ready to erupt into violence. -I just hope Logan can stick to the plan I come up with, we really don't need him running off on his own. Again.-  
  
Sitting back down, Scott put the binoculars back into their case and lapsed into planning how to take his team of high-school students and rescue a mutant from the inside of a military facility.  
  
Mentally sighing as he discarded the fifth plan as too likely to get someone killed, Scott started shredding the leaves off a bush next to him. -Well, I guess this is why I'm the leader, no one else wants to have to plan these things.-- Scott smirked and once again stared into the sky, hoping for a flash of divine inspiration.  
  
He was immediately and sorely disappointed when Kurt's tail slapped into the tree trunk over his head. Scott was about to brush the tail away from his head when the mental gears engaged. Staring at the teleporter, the plan sprang full-grown from his mind.  
  
Tossing the chunks of leaves back onto the ground, he stood up and straightened his uniform. Drawing the eyes of everyone with the sudden movement, he cleared his throat. "Ok, here is the plan. Logan, I want you to move down to just outside the security fence by the cope of trees over there. When you get there, I want you to time the roving sentries and try to find a hole in the pattern. Then I." Kitty interjected, "The ones with the dog aren't paying any attention to what they are doing." Everyone just looked at Kitty. Scott turned and asked, "How do you know that Shadowcat?"  
  
Kitty blinked a couple of times in confusion and gestured at the k-9 sentry. "just like, look at him."  
  
Everyone looked and watched the sentry for a few seconds.  
  
Evan broke the silence. "He looks just like everyone else Kitty."  
  
"He's right Shadowcat, I don't see anything that supports your statement." Scott said.  
  
Kitty, growling with frustration, "Then open your eye Scott. Just like LOOK at him."  
  
Logan broke in. "Half-Pint's right Scooter. That sentry isn't paying any attention."  
  
Scott turned and with a touch of disbelief in his voice said. "And how do you know that Wolverine?"  
  
"Just do. Trust me." Logan growled.  
  
Scott took a deep breath and continued. "Ok then, we are going to need to take him and his dog out of the picture first. The dog needs to be the first priority, it can alert the rest of the base if we let it bark. So Kurt, when I give the signal, Jean is going to hold it's muzzle shut and I want you to port over and grab it and the sentry then port back here. Kitty, I want you to disrupt his radio and take his gun. Then Storm and I will see if we can get any information from him." The group nodded and sat back to wait for the sentry team to get near the fence.  
  
Scott felt his heart start pumping faster the closer the soldier got to the razorwire. Seeing the time for action snap into existence, he turned and uttered a clipped, "Go."  
  
Jean concentrated on the dog, clamping it's jaws shut with a sliver of power.  
  
Kurt exploded in his usual black cloud only to appear the next instant next to the soldier. Grabbing the dogs tail and thrusting his other arm around the soldier's waist, he once again disappeared and reappeared back at the tree.  
  
Kitty, quick as a snake, shot her hands towards the soldier's belt, passing one incorporeal hand through the sensitive electronics of the handheld radio, causing it to spark once and let out a shrill squawk before dying. Her other hand grabbed the barrel of the Beretta and phased it out of it's holster. Spinning, she shoved her hand inside the tree and dropped the gun inside, entombing it.  
  
Logan flashed across the clearing, flipping 2 claws out and slamming his fist into the soldier's neck, the twin blades barely missing the jugulars.  
  
Logan leaned in to that his face was nearly touching the prisoner's, he let a growl slip out from deep in his cheat and spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "Keep very still. There is another blade aimed right at your spinal column. Do you understand?"  
  
The soldier stared wide-eyed at his costumed captor before opening his mouth, only to have a small squeak come out. Logan growled again and shoved him hard in the chest. "I ask if you understood, I don't want you to accidentally make me slit your throat." He let his middle claw slip out and poke the soldier's Adam's Apple for emphasis.  
  
The soldier blinked and croaked out "I understand."  
  
Logan let a predatory grin slip onto his face. "Good, now this is how this little party is going to work. One of us is going to ask you a question, and you are going to answer it immediately, and correctly. Do you understand?" The soldier nodded in response. "First question, are there motion and pressure sensors in the kill-zone?" The soldier waited a second, then responded. "Not on the field, but near the buildings there are."  
  
Jean's voice drew Logan's attention. "He's lying. There are sensors all over the place in there."  
  
Logan turned his head slowly back so that he was staring the soldier right in the eyes. The soldier's eyes hardened and half-closed. "Stay out of my head you fucking mutie bitch."  
  
Logan's eyes slited and he reached out and covered the soldier's mouth. The next instant, a loud pop echoed as Logan's boot clad foot shattered the soldier's right kneecap. The soldier let out a muffled shriek and sucked air in through his nose. The k-9 started growling deep in it's chest and began moving towards Logan when a sudden snarl from Kitty silenced the dog and made it start backing away from her. Kitty blinked and shook her head as if clearing it.  
  
Noticing that the animal was going to cause a problem, Storm gathered a tendril of power out of the heavens and sent a weak lightning bolt at the dog, getting a small whimper before it fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
Logan brought his attention back to the soldier, noticing that he was sucking air heavily and his eyes hadn't closed. -Good pain tolerance. Looks like they've improved the training.-- "Listen bub, you're gonna answer me correctly. Remember that? I hope you do, you have another leg." The soldier waited until the hand was lifted off his mouth before spitting at Jean and angrily biting out, "Fuck you mutie. My friends are going to find you and put you in a fucking cage, just where you belong."  
  
Scott turned to Jean and spoke. "Just take what we need, he isn't going to cooperate."  
  
Jean closed her eyes and forcefully penetrated the soldier's mind, ripping out his knowledge of the facility before pulling back into herself. "I have it."  
  
Logan nodded and stepped back from the soldier, pulling his claws back into his hand. The soldier pushed forward and threw a swing at Logan. Logan shifted his weight onto the heal of his left foot and pivoted to the side, watching as the soldier's fist passed harmlessly in from of his face. Reaching out, he clamped his right hand onto the flying fist and pulling it further across his centerline, torqued his torso and spun his left elbow into the soldier's stomach. The soldier breath was blown out in one explosive exhale and he dropped towards the ground only to have the bridge of his nose meet the adnamantium-encased knee that was powerfully snapped up. With one final crunch as his nose disintegrated, the soldier flopped bonelessly to the ground. A lazy smirk crossed Logan's face and he casually dropped the arm he was holding.  
  
Scott was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.  
  
Logan broke in. "Yes One-Eye, that was necessary."  
  
Scott closed his mouth. He stood still for a moment before turning to Jean. "Do you have what we need Jean?"  
  
Jean tore her eyes off the soldier and blinked. "Yes Scott. We have a 7 minute window before they will be expecting him to check in. After that, we better be inside and have control of the security station."  
  
Scott took a quick glance to see if everyone was ready. "Then let's get moving."  
  
Outer security doors, Research Installation Tau  
  
Specialist Sean Coombs grounds out his third cigarette of the hour. Flipping his gaze quickly out, he quickly scans the field. He takes a quick glance around and seeing no one, he pulls out a tattered paperback. -Shit I hate this place. There is never anyone here. There hasn't even been a false alarm in weeks. It's fucking boring.- Sighing to himself, he flips open the book and leans back, engrossing himself in the story. His head jerks up suddenly when he hears a gravelly voice drawl out, "Hey bub, got a light?" He comes face to face with a short, hairy man wearing a skin-tight black suit with gold stripes on the shoulders. He immediately brings his Car14 to bear and speaks in a clipped voice. "Halt and identify yourself, this is a restrict." His vision whites out for a moment as a pair of feet slam into his lower back, driving him forward. Sean clenches his teeth and starts to yell out an alarm when he feels a Mack truck slam into his face. The last thing that flits in his mind before he slides into the darkness is, --I hope they don't take my book.-  
  
Logan draws his fist back and wipes the blood off on his leg. Looking at Kurt, he says. "Good kick Elf, you're actually paying attention."  
  
The rest of the x-men crowd into the alcove and Kitty phases through the heavy security door. A moment later, the door grinds open and reveals a smiling Kitty. "As I said, it was like no problem."  
  
Scott barely manages to contain his frown. Barking out, "We don't have time for chatter. Jean, where is the security station?"  
  
Jean looks down the hallway before pointing. "It's that door, there isn't anyone inside."  
  
They all jog down the metal hallway and spread out in front of the door. Logan slides a single claw out and tears through the lock like butter. Opening the door, he takes a quick look. "Looks clear. Kitty, can you get the system shut down?"  
  
Kitty phases through the door and takes a look at the sophisticated security terminals that line the small room. Sitting down at the operator's terminal, she starts typing. For the next few minutes, nothing is heard but the clacking of the keyboard.  
  
Kitty's eyes narrow in concentration as she flips through the menus and command interfaces on the terminal. Growling, she leans back in her chair and scowls at the screen.  
  
Scott speaks up. "Is there a problem Shadowcat?"  
  
Kitty snaps her head around and glares at Scott. Neither of them move for a moment. Kitty's right hand suddenly shoots out and phases into the terminal, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from the casing. All the boards in the room blink once and fade to black.  
  
Kitty smirks, "Nope. There's like no problem at all now Scott."  
  
Jean and Logan both snort once and shake their heads.  
  
"Well, in that case, lets move further in."  
  
The team files out of the station and Scott sends a small blast into the keyhole, melting the lock.  
  
The team moves quickly down the hall, stopping every few meters so Logan can sniff for guards. Not encountering any, they make good time. As they pass a junction, Jean stumbles and grabs her head. Scott reaches out to steady her. "What's wrong Jean?"  
  
Jean shakes her head and frowns. "I can't feel anyone Scott. It's like you all just vanished."  
  
Scott blinks and turns towards Storm. "You ever see anything like this before?"  
  
Storm thinks for a moment before replying. "No Scott, I have not."  
  
Scott looks both ways down the hall and scowls. "Well, it's a little late for it to matter. Everyone just keep on your toes."  
  
The team nods. Scott starts to motion them forward when he catches a dark look on Logan's face. Not needing another distraction, he snaps out. "What is it Logan."  
  
Logan takes another sniff and his scowl deepens. "I smell antiseptic."  
  
Storm rests a hand on his shoulder and gently says, "I'm sure it's just the base infirmary Logan."  
  
Logan growls and stands. "Lets make sure."  
  
The rest of the x-men trade uncomprehending looks at the two adults. Shaking off the questions that want to bubble out, Scott motions them towards a room marked 'Records'.  
  
A swipe of a claw and the door is open. Kitty once again sits down at a computer and starts typing. Evan and Kurt dive into the file cabinets.  
  
The next fifteen minutes are filled with the quiet shuffle of papers and the clatter of a keyboard.  
  
Kitty stops typing for a second before leaning back in her chair and tapping her chin. "Does 'Weapon X' mean like anything to anyone?"  
  
Everyone notices Wolverine snap upright and go rigid. He stands still for a moment before stalking over to the terminal. Kitty's eyes go wide as he grabs her chair and pushes it back to the terminal. "What does it say about Weapon X kid?" Logan croaks out.  
  
Kitty stares for a second before a hand taps the screen. She turns back and starts reading. "It talks about a 'bonding process' and hey, isn't adnamantium like the stuff your claws are made out of Mr. Logan?"  
  
Logan's hand slams down on the desk, making everyone jump. "Get that kid. Make a disk or something. I want the entire file."  
  
Kitty shrugged once before popping a cd into a drive and typing again. A few seconds later, she pulled the cd out and handed it to Logan. He snatched it out of her hand and stared at it for a few seconds before slipping it into his costume without another word.  
  
He ignored the questioning stares from the younger x-men and the sympathetic look from Storm. He gruffly spoke. "Let's get this mutant out and get out of here."  
  
Kitty turned back to the terminal and with a few deft keystrokes, pulled a schematic of the base up. Looking at it carefully for a few moments, she reached out and tapped the screen. "That totally has to be where he is." Her finger pointed to what looked like an observation room.  
  
Logan's head snapped up and he took a whiff. "Stay here. I'll be right back."  
  
Before anyone could respond, he was out the door, silent as a ghost. Ten seconds later, they all heard a muffled slam and a small scraping noise. They all warily watched the door as Logan came back in dragging a bloody guard by the foot behind him. Dropping the foot on the ground, he turned back to Scott. "It's clear, we need to move before another guard comes this way."  
  
Scott nodded and motioned for the team to follow him.  
  
They raced down the hallway, following Kitty's soft instructions on where to turn. Eventually, they came to a metal door marked 'Observation'. Scott's eyes fell on the keypad and card swipe that had to be the door lock. He turned to Kitty. "Can you do something with that?"  
  
Kitty looked at the lock and rolled her eyes. "I'm not like magic Scott." She bent down and took a closer look and probed a phased finger around the panel. "I can't do anything here. But I'll open it from the other side." She stood up and walked through the door.  
  
The next heartbeat brought a scream blasting through the door that froze the x-men's blood in their veins. Logan's claws snapped out and ripped through the door. Sinking his hands into the cuts, his shoulders bunched up and he let out a grunt and steel tore as he ripped the door out of the wall. He started to leap into the room when Kitty slams into his chest. He instinctively wraps an arm around her shoulder and spins his body around, blocking her from danger. He pushes her into the hallway and spins around, settling his weight on the balls of his feet and ready to fight.  
  
Evan catches Kitty and starts to ask her what is wrong when Kitty's eyes clamp shut and she folds over and retches on the floor before collapsing. Kurt and Jean are instantly at her side. Kurt's 2 fingers holding her hair out of her face as he hears her sob and choke out "oh god" over and over.  
  
Storm glances back at Logan and notices that he hasn't moved an inch. Every muscle in his body tight as steel. She starts to move towards him when he slowly turns around. In a voice as dead and cold as space, "Storm, come here. Everyone else, stay right here." Scott starts to object and Logan bites out. "Damnit kid, STAY OUT HERE!"  
  
Scott clenches his jaw but he keeps his mouth shut as Storm and Logan both disappear into the room. Turning to the sobbing Kitty, "What happened in there? What did you see"  
  
Kurt and Jean both glance at him sharply. Kitty continues to rock gently. Mumbling "oh god" over and over again. Scott kneels down and puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Kitty. What's in there?" She turns her head and he locks with her horror filled eyes. She opens her mouth only to have nothing come out. She closes it and tries again before squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head slowly. Heading a footstep behind him, Scott turns to find a pale Storm stiffly walking out of the room. Standing up, he reached out to put a hand on her arm. She looked at him for a moment before swallowing thickly. "Don't go in there Scott."  
  
Scott frowned and took his hand off her. Glancing at the rest of the team, he decides that he needs to know what they ran across. Stepping over the twisted door, he walks confidently into the room.  
  
Stepping into the barely lit room, he sees the large observation window. Walking towards Logan he sees him turn his head. "Listen Scott, you don't want to be here."  
  
Stepping forward, he said "I can handle whatever it is Wolverine. It's obviously not dangerous or we would be fighting by now."  
  
Snorting, Logan turned to him and waved towards the window. "Fine kid, take a good long look." Logan then stepped to the side, revealing the inside of a lab.  
  
Scott scanned the lab, not seeing what had scared Kitty when his eyes locked on the center column and a scene that would wouldn't be out of place in the deepest darkest pits of Hell.  
  
There was a boy strapped to a vertical table. He was spread-eagled and had his arms tied down sticking out to the sides. There were innumerable tubes plunged haphazardly into the flesh of the mutant. Scotts eyes blinked and his mind refused to comprehend what his eyes were showing him. Turning away for a moment, he looked back to verify what he thought he saw. His eyes traveled to the sparkle of metal in an open chest cavity. Raw skin and glistening muscle were sliced open and clamped down to the table, spreading the chest cavity apart and exposing the ribs. Scott shivered and swallowed. His eyes refused to blink, trying to force the horrible image before him to change, to somehow not be real. A little bit of his sanity slipped when the corpses eye opened and rolled to him. A strangled choke tore itself out of his throat.  
  
"Oh God"  
  
And he felt suddenly light as he crashed to the floor. 


	5. Chapter 5

Feral Bonds Chapter 5  
  
Disclaimer: Well, this is gonna be another R chapter. Might just have to make the entire fic an R. Who knows. Anyone have an opinion on that? Before we go on to the chapter. I want to make a quick review response.  
  
Inuyasha001: Yes. Scott doesn't seem to be handling his 'leadership' role too well. There is a reason for this. He's a kid. To be more precise, he's a high-school kid. I saw the 'we can take on the world with a smile' portrayal of the cartoon as kinda...far-fetched. This fic takes place fairly early in the series and he's new at the whole spandex brigade thing. As to him fainting at the end of the last chap, I personally know a cop that fainted watching a knee surgery on tv, so Scott dropping at the sight of a person he could reasonably expect to see at school hanging up with his chest torn open would be an order of magnitude worse. I'm just trying to give the x-men a human face. (Yea yea yea, bad pun) 8P  
  
A stinging slap tore Scott out of his blankness. Running a hand over his head, he stared at the looming form of Logan. "Yea I'm up, what happened?"  
  
Logan scowled and bit out. "I told ya not to look kid. Next time listen to me. Now get out of here. I got some work to do." And he pulled Scott to his feet and shoved him towards the door.  
  
Stumbling out the door, his eyes came to rest on the team. Kitty was slowly rocking back and forth with Rogue and Kurt talking softly to her. Storm was standing still and had turned an empty stare at the door as if she expected something demonic to emerge. He slowly walked over to Jean who was flicking her eyes back and forth between Kitty and Storm.  
  
Quickly figuring out the reason for her distress, he placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Jean, be thankful you can't read our minds right now." She narrowed her eyes, trying to piece together what would send Kitty into hysterics and get an actual reaction out of the normally unflappable Storm. Shaking her head, she returned to her useless attempts to try to pick up on the teams thoughts.  
  
The entire team jumped as an almost deafening roar erupted from the other room. Storm and Scott ran to the door, trying to see what had sent Logan into a rage. Mentally preparing himself, he stuck his head past the doorframe and was greeted by Logan tearing at the window in a frenzy. He felt Jean brush up against his shoulder and panicking, he slammed his arm back against the doorframe, preventing her from seeing the lab.  
  
Getting an annoyed glare, he shook his head and motioned her back into the hallway. He turned and followed her back over to the rest of the team. Meeting the questioning eyes of Rogue and Kurt, he sighed. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he started explaining. "I know you are curious about what's in there, and that you want to see for yourself. But I don't want you to go in unprepared like Kitty." waving his hand at the calming girl, he continued. "It's not something that you are going to want to see, trust me. I just don't want you to go in unprepared. They weren't just tortu.beating on the guy, they were.." his voice broke a bit. "... experimenting on him." Looking at the uncomprehending looks on their faces, he elaborated. "Surgically experimenting. And it looks like we interrupted them." Realization dawned on them and Rogue squeezed Kitty's shoulders gently. "It looks like Logan is trying to get into the room. When he does, I'm going to need help getting the mutant out of the...harness he's in. If you don't want to go in with us, no one is going to think any less of you. It's not pretty in there."  
  
The other x-men slowly nodded their heads. Scott noticed a small smile appear on Storm's face. Apparently, she approved of their attitude. Kitty took a few deep breaths and stood. "I'm like totally not going back in there." Scott nodded. "It's ok Kitty. You don't have to."  
  
The crashing suddenly stopped and Logan stomped out of the room, a black look on his face and scraping hard chunks of goo off his claws. Stopping, he thrust a finger at Scott and Storm. "You two, come on, we need some firepower." Without waiting, he turned and stalked back inside.  
  
Quick glances were exchanged between the team and everyone but Kitty and Kurt headed inside the observation room. They were met with a vision of chaos. Scraps of wood from demolished desks were strewn across the floor and the window had chunks of glass ripped out and a grey goo was boiling out of the wounds. Logan turned to Scott and Storm. "That's a TacFoam, I can't claw through it. Gonna need you two to blast through."  
  
They nodded and Scott braced his feet and his hand raised his hand to his visor. Next to him, Storm's eyes glazed over and turned milky-white. Everyone's hair started to stand on end as a faint nimbus of energy surrounded her. Scott waited a few seconds before nodding and speaking one word.  
  
"Fire."  
  
His fingers spun the dial on his visor to full power and triggered the shutter. A ruby lance of force erupted out and lashed at the window, slamming into it with the force of a train.  
  
Storm gathered the strands of power around her and thrust her hands at the window, willing a bolt of lightning to erupt from her. The white-hot bolt crashed across the room, searing the glass as it impacted.  
  
The twin beams of power tore at the window, leaving smoking craters. They kept pouring power at the offending obstruction until with a thunderous crash, the window exploded in it's frame, sending lethal shards careening into both rooms. Jean instantly threw her hands out and willed a telekinetic shield to form between them and the shards. She grunted as her shield absorbed the force of nearly a ton of flying glass. The room quieted and the dust settled.  
  
Evan coughed once. "Man that was intense."  
  
Logan shot him a stare and turned back to the now empty window frame. He put his hand on the frame and was about to vault over it when his ears picked up the keening of a wounded animal. Waving the smoke out of his eyes, he saw the boy thrashing against the harness, bloody chunks of glass embedded all over his body. Gripping the frame harder, he threw his body over and into the lab. His feet came crunching down on the tile floor, skidding a bit before he pulled his legs fully under him. Jogging over to the boy, he noticed the glass being pushed out of his legs, slapping the ground with wet splatters. He saw a large chunk of skin moving up the kids torso. Apparently, a chunk of glass had broken the clamps holding one side of the kids chest open.  
  
A single claw slipped out of his hand as he skidded to a stop in from of the harness. Three swipes later, the other side of the kids chest and his hands were free of their restraints. Not hesitating for an instant, Logan grabbed both flapping slabs of muscle and skin and pushed them back into place. Reaching his bloody hand to a table for a clamp to hold the pieces together, he turned back to see the skin already knitting itself back together. -Even I don't heal that fast.-- Logan thought incredously. Staring for a moment, he heard the sounds of rapid footsteps coming towards him.  
  
Scott and the rest of the team came crunching up. Scott took a quick glance at the now smooth and unmarred chest of the boy. Inwardly sighing with relief that he really didn't see the guys chest spread open before, Scott motioned to Logan. "Get the rest of the restraints off him, we need to get out of here." Logan nodded and turned back to the boy to free him.  
  
Letting another claw slide out of his fist, he started to kneel down to cut off the ankle restraints when he heard a menacing growl above him. Flicking his eyes up, he saw the narrowed eyes of the kid boring down on his hand. Glancing down, he stared at the steel clamp in his hand. A startled cry from Jean brought his head around, trying to see what startled her, he felt the hand of god slam into his temple, knocking him back across the lab, his vision wavering.  
  
Scott gaped as he saw the kid smash a fist into the side of Logan's head. The clang of metal striking metal rang through the lab. He took a step towards Logan when an all too familiar 'snickt' rang out.  
  
Everyone's eyes snapped back to the boy and there was a missed heartbeat when they saw the two metal blades thrusting out of the boys right hand. The hand flashed at his own neck and with a spurt of crimson blood, the collar fell to the ground. Two more swipes and the boy dropped down to the cold grate beneath him.  
  
Logan shook his head and sprang back to his feet, searching for his attacker. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed the 5 blades jutting out of the kids hands. Realizing that the kid saw the clamps in his hand and thought he was one of the doctors, he retracted his claws and dropped his hands to his sides.  
  
The boy dropped to a crouch, warily eying the group of people in front of him. A low growl slipped out of his throat as Jean took a small step towards him and made soothing noises.  
  
Gingerly stepping over a rail, Jean tried to project calm to the distressed mutant. Her green eyes locked with his brown orbs and the world seemed to halt for a moment. She shrieked as the boy bunched his legs and with a roar leaped over her head. Throwing her hands over her head and crouching, the growling mutant blew past her.  
  
Logan's eyes tracked the flight of the kid as he soared over the heads of the kids and into the observation room. He started running after him when a black cloud exploded next to him and Kurt appeared with Kitty in his arms.  
  
Kurt turned to Logan with wide eyes. "What was that? I saw a blur run past us."  
  
Scott started to answer when they heard a faint wail and a gunshot from the down the hall. Turning to the team, he started motioned to the window frame. "We have to catch him before we lose him." With that, the x-men thundered back into the hallway.  
  
Logan took the lead as they ran down the halls. Coming to an intersection, he sniffed the air and paused. Shaking his head, he pointed to the right and took off down the hall with the rest of the x-men following. More gunshots and yelling drifted down the hall as they ran. Logan spotted a rifle laying next to a door, cleanly sliced in half. He also took in the severed hand still clutching the grip. Not slowing, he glanced into the office as he passed it. He dispassionately noted the motionless soldier laying on the floor, blood pumping out of the stump in his arm and the three furrows across his face, exposing a mangled, sightless eye and glistening bone.  
  
Reaching out, he caught the door and slammed it shut, hopefully sparing the kids one more nightmare.  
  
Unfortunately, the kid seemed to have other ideas. Still sprinting down the halls, he caught a glimpse of a naked leg flash down another hall. Speeding in that direction, he saw bullets impact the wall and tear into the cinderblocks, the sounds of gunfire came to an abrupt halt and there was a pregnant silence. A screech of mortal pain shredded the moment and the next thing anyone heard could only be described as..wet.  
  
Following the now smeared bloody footprints, the x-men pursued the teen. Mentally blocking out the sight of the scattered, mangled corpses littering their path, they reached the outer doors. They saw the gore spattered teen loping towards the cover of the trees. With whatever was blocking her telepathy inside now gone, Jean reached out to knock the rampaging boy out. With her eyes closed in concentration, she missed the muzzle of a m16 poke out from the inside of humvee and point at the boy. She felt her mind slipping past the boiling rage pouring off the teen and had barely gotten a foothold when searing pain ripped through her accompanied by the roar of a machine gun.  
  
The team watched in horror as the bullets stitched a path across the kids back, blasting bloody chunks out of his torso and slamming him into the door of another humvee. The kids body left a crimson smear as he rebounded off the vehicle and dropped to the ground, wetly skidding on the packed dirt and coming to a stop in a heap of limp limbs.  
  
Scott barked out to Storm to take care of the 4x4 and quickened his pace to the now fallen kid. Positive he was going to find a corpse when he got there, he was relieved when he saw the body start to twitch.  
  
A cry tore out of Evan and Scott's mouths when they saw the camouflaged soldier step out from behind a truck and level a handgun at the boy. Time seemed to slow as a sadistic grin oozed across the soldiers face before he squeezed the trigger. The boy's body jerked and danced on the ground as the soldier emptied the clip into the kids stomach.  
  
The team ground to a halt at the blood spattered soldier. Not believing that a person could find such gleeful delight in the murder of a kid. Logan roared and sprinted at the soldier who was now quickly reloading his gun. Scott reached up to his visor and sent a ruby beam smashing into the gun and sending it off into the trees. The soldier grabbed his hand and sneered at the mutants. "Fuck you, you freaks, you're gonna fuc." and a choking sound brushed past his lips. Looking down, he brought his hand to his abs, feeling his shirt tenting around 3 sharp points. Feeling the wet stain spreading on his shirt, he glanced back at the x-men with a look of supreme disbelief. He twitched once then looked back at his front. The three points behind his shirt visibly jerked up and came to rest just below his right collarbone. Still silently staring, the soldier shivered once more before his entire body jerked off the ground and the blood spattered and bullet riddled form of the boy was revealed, his left fist jammed aginst the back of the soldier. Snarling once, his right hand came swooping across in an arc, claws biting into the side of the soldier right above the belt. Barely slowing, the razor sharp claws exploded out of the soldiers body with a spray of arterial blood that slapped audibly against the humvee.  
  
The boy ripped the claws out of the soldiers torso and tossed it away from the twitching legs before springing into the woods.  
  
Logan skidded to a stop next to the quivering soldier. With wide eyes, the soldier looked at Logan. "My legs are cold. I need my pants." Before shivering once more. Taking a quick look behind him at the rest of the x- men, he angled his body to block his hands. Leaning close to the soldier's ear, he whispered. "It's ok, they are coming with your pants kid." Before reaching up with his right hand and sending a single claw mercifully into the soldier's brain, silencing him forever.  
  
Unfortunately, his attempt to hide this failed as Scott saw the claw retract from the soldier's temple. Inwardly cringing, Scott stopped the running x-men. "Enough with the soft gloves. This guy needs to be stopped and stopped right now. Fan out and search the forest." Glancing back at the hesitant faces, he added. "I know, but we can't help him until we stop him. We can't let him loose when he obviously has no problem killing." Pointing to the trees, "Go. And call on the communicator when you spot him."  
  
The X-men broke off from each other and vanished into the woods. Scott started to run his own direction when Logan grabbed a handful of his uniform and roughly spun him around. In a dangerously low voice, "You just sent a bunch of kids into a forest after a killer. What the hell are you thinking Summers?" Realization dawned on Scott's face and he yanked out the communicator. Talking rapidly, he recalled the team.  
  
Both their heads whipped around when they heard a high pitched scream of terror. They both looked at each other before they both spoke at once. "Kitty." Logan bounded off into the trees.  
  
In the forest  
  
Kitty ducked under a low hanging branch. She took a quick look around the forest. Not seeing anything out of what she assumed to be the ordinary, she sat down and put her hands on her face. -God, I'm in the middle of like nowhere chasing after a teenage Freddy Krueger. I totally should have stayed at home with mom and dad.- She heard her communicator beep and she flipped it open. Hearing Scott's recall order, she blew a breath of relief and stood. She decided to take the shortcut back to the field and just phase through the trees.  
  
Running full tilt through the underbrush and trees, she caught a glimpse of red before loosing her concentration and smacking into a trunk. Shaking her head, she peeked around the tree. What she saw disturbed her. The boy was on his hands and knees next to a pine tree, blood dripping off his face and chest. She heard the sound of metal hitting rock and caught a glimpse of the bullets being forced out of the kids body. Not even breathing, she continued to watch as the boys arms started shaking violently before he crashed face first into the ground and was still.  
  
Realizing that the boy was still breathing, however slowly, she pulled her communicator out to let Scott know she found him. The communicator snapped open with a click and she was about to activate it, she saw a flash of movement and she had barely raised her head to get a better look when four hundred pounds of flesh and metal slammed into her, knocking her off her feet and sending her skidding through the underbrush. Too startled from the ferocity of the attack and too winded from the impact to phase, she saw the silver blade slip out of the boys hands and his fist haul back to deliver the killing blow. Seeing her short life flash before her eyes, she did the only thing she could, scream.  
  
Her piercing scream ripped through the forest, sending birds rocketing to the sky. He eyes locked on the flashing metal as it tore through the air that separated them. Her mind shut down in anticipation of the searing pain soon to come. The claws descended twords her neck and came to a sudden halt 6 inches away. Her mind still on idle, she didn't notice and the boy leaned down and started sniffing at her neck. The claws suddenly snapped back into his hands and she felt the enormous weight shift off her. Taking a shallow breath, she started to sit up when she felt hand grasp the stomach of her uniform and effortlessly rip it open, exposing her stomach. She gasped when she saw the boy drop his face to her stomach and inhale deeply. Misplaced indignation burst out of her and her arm tensed to slap the boy. She stopped when with a hot breath blew across her exposed skin and the boy collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Not believing what just happened, she flopped back to the ground to regain her senses when the bushes to her right exploded and a snarling Wolverine flew at her. Flinching back, she saw Logan's fingers curl into the boys hair and yank him to his feet. Claws ripped out of Logan's left fist and flashed down and across the boys stomach. shifting his grip to the boys shoulder, he pivoted his hips and sent the boy sailing across the small clearing, the boy's body pin wheeling off into the brush after his head smacked into a tree.  
  
Watching to see if his opponent got back up, Logan stepped back to Kitty to see if she was still alive and if she was going to stay that way. Satisfied the boy wasn't getting back up, he turned to the gaping hole in Kitty's uniform. Blinking, he saw the undamaged skin flex as she sucked air. Looking up into her shocked face, he couldn't see or smell any of her blood. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he tried to get her attention. "Half-pint, you ok?" Getting no response, he hauled her to her feet and checked her for injuries. He was in the middle of this when the rest of the team came crashing into the clearing.  
  
Scott quickly took in Logan supporting Kitty's limp form and the unmoving body of the boy across the clearing. His eyes narrowed when he saw the bloody gash in Kitty's uniform. His mind clouded over with rage. The very mutant they came here to save had turned on them and killed Kitty. With a snarl, he spun his visor towards the boy's body and sent a full power optic blast slam into the boy, sending the body skipping off into a tree. A hand came crashing down on his arm and tore his hand away from his visor. Spinning to yell at whoever stopped him, he saw Storm's eyes boring into his and her head shaking slightly. "No Scott, that's enough." She pointed over to Kitty and Logan.  
  
Kitty started to shake. Jean threw her arms around her and tried to comfort her. Kitty's eyes closed and she curled her hands into fists before tearing herself out of Jean's grasp and clutching her torn uniform closed. "HE LIKE TOTALLY SNIFFED ME!!!" Everyone blinked once and a collective breath was released as it was plain that Kitty was unharmed. Kitty continued her tirade. "WHO THE HELL SNIFFS PEOPLE!" Taking a quick glance around, she stomped her foot into the dirt. "That's like it. I'm done." And she stalked off towards the Blackbird.  
  
The rest of the team started followed her. Logan reached out and grabbed Scott's arm. "Chuck is going to want the kid. Give me a hand." Scott scowled and glanced at the limp body. "Just leave him here Logan. He's nothing but an animal, I don't want him anywhere near me, much less at the institute." Logan growled and bit out. "Fine, get on the plane. I'll be a minute." Scott sent one last scathing glare at the boy and walked off.  
  
Logan walked over to the kid. Staring for a moment at the kids hands, he reached down and tossed the body over his shoulder.  
  
--Chuck can deal with this at the school.-- 


	6. Chapter 6

Feral Bonds Chapter 6  
  
Well, gonna leave this a pg-13, no one really had a comment, so guess it's all good.  
  
Juice: Hopefully your question will at least have the start of an answer to your question.  
  
Inuyasha0001: Thanks, positive feedback is always appreciated. Considering this story is the first time I've written anything, I'm glad you like it so much.  
  
Kelli: Thanks. I thought that evo-Kitty could use a dose of comic-Kitty.  
  
Oh yea. Extra Brownie Points to anyone that caught the kinda-sorta homage to James O'Barr in the last chapter.  
  
In the Blackbird's hanger  
  
The X-jest came to a full stop, steam rising from the overheated engines. The sounds of hydraulic pumps straining barely preceded the angry stomps of Scott's booted feet. "Fine Logan, do whatever you want. I don't want him here, he's not safe. But hey, who cares what I think."  
  
The rest of the x-men walked quietly down the jet's ramp, not wanting to gain Scott or Logan's attention and restart the argument that had lasted from Colorado all the way to Bayville with nary an interruption. Scott had been adamant that they should just find the nearest deserted island and dump the mutant off, preferably from altitude, sans chute. Logan on the other hand, said that Charles was gonna take a look and that was that. After that, the discussion devolved into Scott's tirade and a lot of growling.  
  
They had scrounged an emergency blanked from the survival kit and had wrapped it around the boy's lower half to cover his nakedness. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to find anything to clean the blood off him. What happened next made them realize that they should have stopped at a river.  
  
Jubilee pushed the mop bucket into the hanger. Sullenly kicking the door closed, she once again asked herself if doing 'after mission' cleanup for a month was a fitting punishment for swiping the Professor's credit card and having an eleven hour long shopping trip at the mall. -Come on! The yellow and red curtains I got for the dining room really spiced that dingy old room right up!- Glaring at the mop bucket one more time, she rounded the nose of the and came face to face with a bad horror movie.  
  
Her eyes snapped wide and she screamed, "HOLY SHIT!" when she saw a floating, shiny, gore covered body. "The hell?" She managed to get out before the sight of the body was blocked by Storm's cape. Storm finished securing her cape to the boy before mentally preparing to deal with the excitable young mutant.  
  
Jubilee's eyes blinked twice before her mouth engaged. "Holy crap Stormy, where were you guys? The set of Screaming Undead Cannibals from Minnesota? And why is he floating? Can he fly or something? He looks like he went ten rounds with Freddy Kruger AND Jason."  
  
Storm was saved from attempting to interpret the buzzing questions by a gruff "Shut it kid." Courtesy of Logan.  
  
Now on the offensive, Storm tried to lead the girl's attention to something else and hopefully stall the rumors until Charles had had time to look into the boy. "Jubilation Lee, remember, you have to do both the cockpit and the cargo bay this time."  
  
About to object to the obvious dismissal when she got her first good look at the rest of the team. Scott was practically vibrating with rage, Logan had the blackest look she had ever seen, Rogue and Evan were supporting a blank faced Kitty with a gaping hole in the stomach of her uniform, Kurt was nervously glancing between the floating bundle and Kitty, and Jean was concentrating on levitating the body.  
  
Deciding that they were in absolutely no mood for her motor mouth right then, she turned to Ororo, "Sure thing Stormy." And flashed a grin. She could hardly wait to let Bobby know the news.  
  
Institute infirmary  
  
Jean strode into the isolation unit with the still covered boy drifting behind her like a bloody balloon. Gesturing towards the bed, she directed the boy to rest. Rubbing her temple, she quickly backed out of the room, sealing the door behind her and starting up the air circulators. Sitting down in a plastic chair, she leaded back and tried to relax the tension that had crept up her neck.  
  
Scott stood in the doorway, watching Jean rub her neck. "You ok Jean?"  
  
She cracked her eyes and smiled. "Yes Scott, just used my powers too much today. Gives me a tension headache." Glancing at the isolation room, she continued. "He's pretty heavy. Just the walk between the jet and here felt like a marathon."  
  
Scott frowned. "Well, if Logan wasn't so obstinate, we could have been rid of him long before we got here."  
  
Jean stared incredulously at Scott. "You can't mean that Scott. He's a mutant, just like us. He just got out of being 'tortured' and I'm sure he didn't know what he was doing."  
  
Scott was silent for a moment. "I disagree Jean, you saw how he took down those soldiers, that wasn't sloppy, it was deliberately brutal. Like something that was trained. Don't defend him, he doesn't deserve it. For god's sake Jean! He almost 'killed' Kitty!" Scott shouted.  
  
Jean stood up. "You know Scott, you would think that the 'leader' of the x- men would have a little compassion." She said before gliding out of the room.  
  
Scott turned to the doorframe and shouted down the hall. "I'm compassionate!" before quietly adding, "when people deserve it." Shooting one last glare at the isolation room door, he stalked off.  
  
Professor Xavier's office  
  
Charles Xavier's eyes closed in sympathetic grief as he mentally scanned the new mutant his X-men had rescued. He had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to sort out the garbled images and memories housed in the boy. Pouring over the memories of the rescue/escape, he mentally winced as the phantom pain of the bullets getting pushed out of his/the boy's body.  
  
Switching from a deep probe to a light scan, he opened his eyes to the expectant looks of the x-men. Folding his hands under his nose, he glanced around once before slightly nodding to himself. "First of all, I'm very proud of all of you. You all handled the situation far better than I could have hoped. Granted, it is my fervent desire that none of you ever have to witness what you did again anytime soon." Noticing that his praise had less of an effect that he had hoped, he inwardly sighed. "What you encountered today was the actions of a few people, not humanity as a whole. While the persons running the base exhibited the basest of humanity darker emotions, rest assured that they are in no way the majority or even a significant fraction of people. In the days and weeks to come, I unfortunately expect that this incident will be forefront in your thoughts. Expect that you will have a nightmare or two, it's normal after enduring an experience like this. If at any time you feel you need to, either Ms. Munroe or myself will be happy to sit down and talk with you."  
  
Still mentally running through the mutant's memories, he decided to debrief the team. "Now, on to the new mutant. I've been scanning his mind while he is unconscious and I've learned that he was not attacking you specifically, he was terrified and anyone in his way of the first possible way for him to escape was targeted as an enemy. When you ceased trying to detain him, he ran instead of attacking you. With what I've learned from boy so far, which unfortunately, does not include his name, I have come to the conclusion that he is going to have to stay in the isolation room for the time being for both his, and our safety." Noticing both Rogue's and Kitty's faces start to frown, he interjected. "It is for the best, he needs an environment that he does not feel threatened."  
  
Relief washing over him as he sensed nothing but acceptance, he rolled out from behind his desk. "It's been a long day and all of you have school tomorrow. Go to bed. And remember, if you feel the need to talk, we are here."  
  
Watching the teens file out of the room, he kept his face carefully neutral until the last of them had exited and the door clicked shut. Turning to Ororo and Logan, he leaned back in his chair. "I did not want to expose the children to what I have discovered from our young mutant. First of all, he is approximately three years old."  
  
Both Storm and Logan just waited for Xavier to finish his statement. Getting nothing but the knowing stare Xavier is so famous for, Logan spoke up. "You mean he only has memories for the past three years right Chuck?"  
  
Xavier smiled. "No Logan. He is not missing any memories. I saw some.childhood memories and there was a calendar in some of the earlier ones. The date was three years ago next month."  
  
Storm glid over to one of the plush leather chairs and sat down. "How is that possible Charles? He would be an infant at that age."  
  
Xavier's brow lowered in thought. "I'm not entirely sure how Ororo. It could have something to do with his mutation."  
  
Logan fished around a shirt pocket before pulling a half smoked cigar out and jamming it into his mouth. "Any idea where they took him from? You said you had some of his memories from when he was a kid. Gotta be something there we can use to find his parents."  
  
Xavier visibly deflated. "Logan, from what I can ascertain, he was either taken to that facility as an infant, or he was born there."  
  
Storm leaned forward and very delicately asked. "And when did these people start their experiments?"  
  
Xavier's face was inhumanly blank. "They started before he can remember."  
  
Silence reigned throughout the office.  
  
Xavier rolled out from the desk and settled next to the roaring fireplace. "That was my first reaction as well. Unfortunately, this also brings up another problem. He isn't mentally human. He never developed a mentality past the animal you encountered. He's relatively intelligent, and he's cunning, but there isn't any sentience. This means he might never adjust to being released."  
  
Logan dug his matches out of his jacket and used a thumb to spark it. Puffing the cigar up to a respectable cherry, he blew a cloud of smoke towards the ceiling. "Sounds kinda like me when I go into a berserker rage. We can toss him in the danger room and let him work it out against that. Always works for me."  
  
Storm nodded and spoke. "Surely Charles, some regimen of therapy would allow him to integrate into the world. No one deserves to be locked up for the rest of their life for something they have no control of."  
  
A look of mild frustration passed Xavier's face. "In other circumstances, I would agree with you Ororo, there are several methods of therapy that could assist him. But the issue we have to deal with is that there is 'no' previous human state of mind for me to bring out. From what I can tell, he's been feral from the moment he was born until now. There just isn't anything for me or anyone else to work on."  
  
Logan scowled. "So you just planning on leaving him like that Chuck? Ain't gonna happen."  
  
Xavier slightly grinned. "I have an idea on something I can do, but I will have to do additional research to see if it would even be possible."  
  
He sat for a moment, gazing into the fire before once again folding his hands under his nose. "On another, somewhat related note, I discovered why he did not attack Kitty." His intense gaze speared both Ororo and Logan. "But this is not to be repeated to any of the students, for any reason." Both of them nodded. "Just before he was about to finish Kitty off, he smelled something on her. Something that I pray isn't true." Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out before speaking.  
  
"Kitty is pregnant."  
  
Xavier inwardly smiled as Ororo's normally implacable calm shattered with shock and Logan's cigar fell out of his gaping mouth. Quickly continuing before either of them started with their inevitable questions. "Or at least the boy believes it. He smelled it on her."  
  
Ororo was the first to regain her composure. "And do we know for certain Charles? It would be a shame for someone her age to raise a child, even in a supportive household."  
  
Logan bent down and picked up his cigar, jamming it back into the side of his mouth. "I don't think so Storm, I would have smelled something before now. What's that kid's name that's always after her? Alvers or something. I woulda smelled his stench if she had been...roaming."  
  
Xavier inwardly winced at Logan's rough term for it, but kept his face neutral. "I agree with Logan Ororo. Someone would have noticed something by this point. But that is off the issue. While a pregnant student would be a difficulty, I am more worried by the boy's response. His reaction to it seems somewhat extreme. From what Kitty said, he collapsed after smelling her bare skin. When I was probing his memories, I noticed an almost artificial quality to his loss of aggression. He mentally shifted to a non- aggressive state within a fraction of a second. It makes me wonder why."  
  
Moving back to his desk, he continued. "Either way, I believe that we have all had a long and exhausting day, both physically and mentally. I advise both of you to retire for the night. Tomorrow is when the children are going to start to react to what they saw and we need to be ready to offer counsel."  
  
Ororo and Logan offered no arguments, merely leaving the room. Xavier retreated to his thoughts, trying to devise a plan to keep the boy out of a locked room for the rest of his life.  
  
The next morning  
  
Kitty was roused from sleep by the low murmur of voices in her room. Exasperated, she flipped onto her stomach before jamming the pillow over her head in an attempt to catch just a little more sleep. - My stupid alarm hasn't even gone off yet. Can't Jubes just like go somewhere else?-- Jamming the pillow harder around her head didn't completely block the voices. Growling in frustration, she peeked out from her pillow and almost screamed when she saw she had been asleep for a grand total of fifteen minutes. Tossing the pillow off, she flipped over and sat up. Seeing Jubilee, Amara, and Rhane all standing at the foot of her bed staring at her with wide eyes, she bit out. "Can't you guys like talk somewhere else? I totally need some sleep right now." Needless to say, she didn't get quite the reaction she was looking for.  
  
Jubilee opened and closed her mouth twice. This in itself piqued Kitty's interest, Jubilee never shut up. Amara gently shoved Jubilee towards the head of the bed. Still wondering what they were doing, Kitty snapped. "What? I like could really use some sleep. Go downstairs or something. And why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
Kitty's demand seemed to break whatever trance Jubilee had slipped into. "Hey Kitty, we were just wondering if we should start moving my stuff to a different room or something. You know, you could use the extra space soon and stuff. And were going to see if we could get the room redecorated for you two."  
  
Kitty listened to Jubilee's rapid fire speech and decided she'd had enough. "QUIET!" Jubilee's seemingly never-ending flood of words sputtered out.  
  
Tossing back he covers, Kitty leapt out of her bed. She stared hard at the three girls. Pointing to Jubilee, she bit out. "You. Quickly and like 'concisely' tell me what the hell you are talking about."  
  
Uncharacteristically fidgeting, Jubilee finally sat down and looked apologetic. "We were going to get some chow when we heard the news from the Professor."  
  
Kitty waited for Jubilee to elaborate. Finally deciding that she wasn't going to get some sleep unless she dragged it out of Jubilee, she growled. "WHAT news?"  
  
Jubilee looked about to bolt. "You know, we didn't mean to hear it, but the door to his office was cracked open a little and we were walking right next to it and."  
  
Having had entirely too much already, Kitty cut Jubilee off with a chop of her hand. Taking a deep breath, she belted out. "What the HELL are you talking about?"  
  
Jubilee squeaked. "We heard the Professor say you're pregnant."  
  
Kitty stared at her.  
  
Jubilee stared back.  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just let me sleep, I'm tired." She flopped back into bed before pulling the covers over her head. 


	7. Chapter 7

Feral Bonds Chapter 7  
  
Xavier's Institute for the Gifted  
  
Kitty was dragged kicking and screaming back to consciousness by the incessant warble of her alarm. Groaning, she reached her hand out and phased it through the clock, reducing it to a sparking, smoking chunk of quiet plastic. Her huddled form was deathly still for a few more moments before she hurled her blanket across the room and vaulted to her feet. Growling at her roommates now empty bed, she took a quick shower and got dressed. She swore that Jubilee was going to regret trying to mess with her head.  
  
Stalking down to the kitchen, she immediately noticed that most of the younger x-men were absent and she was getting a blank look from the Professor, Mr. Logan, and Ms. Munroe. Deciding that revenge would have to wait, at least until she ate, she filled her plate and started to eat. Feeling an almost scratchy feeling on the top of her head she looked up and noticed that not only was everyone not talking, they were all still looking at her. Knowing that they had probably found out about her reprogramming the security system to ignore her nighttime...ventures, she put on her most innocent face. "Like what's up with the silent treatment this morning?" Getting no response, she shrunk back in her chair and continued eating. Hearing the sound of feet thundering down the hallway, she glanced to the double doors. Her eyes widened when she saw Scott, Kurt, Evan, and Jubilee all suited up with dark looks on their faces.  
  
Scott turned to her and stood stock still for a moment before striding over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Kitty, we'll have Alvers here in fifteen minutes tops. Then we can sit down and discuss this with the faculty."  
  
Hearing Logan choke and start pounding his chest, she turned and saw the small smirk vanish like vapor. Turning back to Scott, she asked. "I totally have no idea what you are talking about Scott."  
  
Scott was silent for a moment. "Jubilee told us this morning Kitty, it's nothing to be ashamed of. There will have to be some adjustments, but you are still an x-man."  
  
Kitty snapped her eyes to the concerned face of Jubilee and narrowed. "What did you tell them Jubilee?"  
  
Jubilee shifted her weight a few times before answering. "You know, about the thing we were talking about last night? I really didn't want to tell him, but we didn't know what to do and we figured that sitting you and Lance down would be the easiest way of working this out."  
  
Kitty blinked. That sounded almost..logical. At least for something Jubilee said. Logical that is, if she had the faintest idea what the hell she was talking about. Deciding to just get this over with, she bluntly asked. "Jubilee, like what are you talking about?"  
  
Scott took over from the 'yellow one'. "We all know about you and Alvers Kitty, it's not something that we could have seen happening, but we would have hoped that you would have used some sort of protection. As I said before, you are still an x-man, but we are going to have to take into account your pregnancy when we draw up team lists for missions. There will be changes, but we are all going to be here for you."  
  
Kitty stared at Scott dumbly. Where the hell did they hear she was pregnant? And What did Lance have to do. Waving her arms in front of her face in denial, she phased through the chair and backed up. "WHAT? I am NOT pregnant. Like where the heck did you hear that Scott?"  
  
Scoot turned to Jubilee, who opened her mouth to speak when the room was invaded by a most disturbing sound. Everyone looked at the source of the offending sound, their minds not believing what they saw.  
  
Logan was laughing. Not chuckling, but a full blown, from the belly kind of laugh.  
  
Even the Professor had a grin on his face. With what looked like a Herculean effort, his face regained the placidness that it's normal state. "Jubilation, Scott." Both teens snapped to attention. "I understand your actions and the rationale behind them, and I approve for the most part. You were honest trying to help Kitty through what would be a very trying event in her life. Unfortunately, you are both under a false impression. Kitty is not, and has never been pregnant. Jubilation, perhaps next time you overhear a portion of a conversation, you will put some thought into what you may not be hearing." He folded his hands under his nose and looked between the two mutants. "As you did this out of a sense of concern for Kitty's welfare, I will forgo extending your probation Jubilation." Looking over at Scott, "And as for you Scott, in circumstances that may crop up like this, make sure to come to me privately beforehand." Scott nodded. Xavier turned to Kitty, who was standing next to the wall with her eyes as wide as saucers. "Kitty, I will need to speak to you and Scott. Please come to my office after school."  
  
Institute Isolation Chamber  
  
Logan walked into the medlab. Taking a quick sniff, he headed for Beast. "Hey Blue. Anything new with the kid?"  
  
Hank rolled his stool back from the centrifuge. Rubbing his eyes and dropping his glasses to the table, he twisted to face Logan. "Greetings Logan. Our slumbering guest seems to be at the pinnacle of health. Other than the adnamantium grafted to his skeletal structure, I would never suspect that any misfortune had befallen our guest." Grabbing a folder and flipping through it, he continued. "Although the method the deviants used to modify him was far different than yours."  
  
Logan pulled out a cigar and started chewing on it. "Yea, like how?"  
  
Hank snapped the x-rays into the reader and turned on the light. The films showed that the bones were not coated as Logan's were, but were wrapped like twine with thin strips of the metal. The close-up of the right wrist showed that the middle claw itself was missing, the rails and guides were there, but the blade itself wasn't. Wrapped around the neck and abdomen, what looked like a finely woven net was wrapped around the vital areas and anchored to bone.  
  
Logan scowled. Pointing to the mesh, he asked. "Blue, what the hell is that? Is it adnamantium?"  
  
Hank flipped through some more papers. "It certainly seems to be. It's actually quite ingenious. The mesh protects the vital areas from being punctured, similar to a chainmail hauberk. I would say that is why you returned with only minimal cleanup needed in the Blackbird."  
  
A loud boom stole their attention. They both turned and watched the monitor to the Isolation chamber. The boy had apparently woken and was attacking the walls. Hank rushed to the intercom. "There is no need for distress, you are safe." The boys eyes snapped to the speaker embedded in the ceiling. "You are at Xavier's Institute for the Gifted. We rescued you from the experimentation facility you were incarcerated." The boy snapped all five claws out and crouched down, slowly scanning the white room. "No one here is going to hurt.." With that, the boy leapt straight up, swinging a claw at the speaker. Missing it by a good 16 inches. Hank stared. Turning to Logan, he said. "That was remarkable. He weighs over four hundred pounds with the metal implanted in him and he is still able to leap almost seven feet off the ground from a standstill. He must be immensely strong."  
  
Logan narrowed his eyes. "Yea Blue, and I don't remember this place being exactly confining. I would be out of that room in just a few seconds." Looking around the room quickly, he continued. "You still have that tranquilizer gun around here?"  
  
Hank stuck a foot under the desk and brought out a silver air-gun. "Always be prepared and you will never suffer from the unexpected." He stuck the pistol back under the desk.  
  
Logan nodded. "And no one expects the Spanish Inquisition." Frowning, he fully turned to Hank. "And I got a bad feeling about this kid. Chuck was talking about the kid here not having a mind. That might cause some problems, so be careful Blue."  
  
They both looked back at the monitor and the stalking form of the boy prowling around the room. Hank reached out and toggled the intercom again. Before he could open his mouth to speak, the boy had sprinted at a wall, jumping and ramming his claws into the metal walls, he hung for a split second on the wall, looking like an enraged spider, before vaulting off his perch. Sailing through the air, he jammed his claws into the speaker and twisted. The speaker exploded in sparks and fell silent. The boy slammed feet first into the bed, splintering the fragile medical bed beneath his weight. The boy crouched stock still for a moment before looking cautiously around the room.  
  
Hank blinked once and needlessly flipped the intercom switch back to off. "Well, that was. unforeseen."  
  
Logan reached under the desk and grabbed the air-gun. Dropping it on the desk, he spoke. "Keep that handy Blue. I don't think it's going to be long before he realizes that the walls of that room aren't made of adnamantium."  
  
Hank quickly glanced at the air-gun, memorizing it's new resting spot. Swallowing, he spoke. "Of course Logan, I will endeavor to be as vigilant as possible."  
  
Logan nodded once. "You get the files we stole yet? Chuck said something about you going over them."  
  
Hank picked up a vanilla folder and handed it to Logan. "That's the printout. I haven't had time to go through it in any extensive fashion, but everything you retrieved is there. I will be busy here for the next few days, but feel free to come and consult me if you need assistance."  
  
Logan spun on his heels and walked out of the medlab, tossing a "Yea" over his shoulder.  
  
Bayville High School  
  
Kitty jammed her History textbook into her locker. Ripping the English book out from underneath a stack of papers, she stepped back and slammed the door closed. Glaring at the door, she sifted her weight in preparation to slam her foot into it. A hand descended onto her shoulder. Spinning around, he came eye to eye with Lance.  
  
Grinning, he leaned against the wall. "So Kittycat, I got tickets to the Screaming Divers concert on Saturday. How about you come on by my place around six and we'll go from there."  
  
Kitty was speechless. Lance had just 'assumed' that she would be falling over herself to go to a concert with him. She didn't even 'like' the Divers. The..incident at breakfast came back to her in a rush. Everyone assumed she was 'pregnant' of all things, and that 'Lance' had to have had something to do with it. A red mist starting to haze her vision, she started to step towards Lance when Scott stuck his arm between them, blocking her from inflicting bodily harm.  
  
Scott tossed her a look that clearly said 'Calm Down' and he turned to the now frowning Lance. "Alvers, Kitty isn't going anywhere with you, much less a concert. So just back off."  
  
Lance started scowling. "Listen Summers, she can make her own decisions without your overbearing self poking your nose in where no one wants it."  
  
Scott opened his mouth to fire a comeback when they both heard the locker behind Scott boom. Both their heads snapping around, they stared as Kitty threw them both a black glance and stalked off down the hall.  
  
Lance glanced down and noticed the deep dent she had put into the locker door. Looking at the staring form of Scott, he spoke. "She's been kinda... testy lately hasn't she."  
  
Scott blinked and shrugged. "You have no idea Alvers." Before walking down the hall to his next class.  
  
Xavier's Office  
  
Logan walked into Xavier's office and with a nod, sat down. "What do you want Chuck? I'm trying to dig through the mumbo-jumbo in this file." He waved the vanilla folder.  
  
Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair. "I'm sorry Logan, but I felt that this was more important." He rolled around his desk and stopped in front of Logan. "Do you have any memories from before you woke up in the snow in Canada? I know you don't like to talk about this, but it's vital."  
  
Logan scowled and his eyes glazed over. "Nah Chuck. It's like someone flipped a switch, nothing, then standing naked in the wilderness."  
  
Xavier sighed in apparent relief. "That's the best news that I have come across yet."  
  
Logan's eyebrow arched. "And?"  
  
Xavier rolled back to his desk. "I believe that with Jean's help, I may be able to 'implant' a human personality into the boy. Language, social mores, those kinds of things. The minimum to allow him to function in the world."  
  
Logan stood. "So you're just going to muddle in his mind a bit more eh Chuck. Seems like that's the last thing the kid needs."  
  
Xavier closed his eyes for a moment. "I know your feeling on the subject Logan, but without this procedure, I fear that there is nothing we can do for the boy. He would have to remain in a cage for the rest of his life. He's too violent and has no compunctions about killing or destroying anything in his path. As of right now Logan, he's an animal. A vicious animal."  
  
Logan growled. "Not necessarily Chuck."  
  
Xavier sighed. "No Logan, it is necessary. Unlike you, he has nothing to fall back on, nothing to possibly pull himself out of this feral state. He will 'never' wake up from it. Either I do this, or he will need to be put in a cage. For everyone's protection."  
  
Logan paced around the room for a few minutes. He finally stopped and stuck his cigar in his mouth. "Fine Chuck. Just don't screw up." And with that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Xavier staring into space.  
  
Institute Kitchen, after school  
  
Evan pulled a carton of Milk out of the industrial sized fridge and dropped it on the table. Sitting down, he started draining it. Hearing footsteps from the hallway, he glanced over and saw Kitty walk in.  
  
Kitty dropped her backpack on the table with a thud and snagged an apple out of a hanging basket. Sitting down, she tore into the fruit, seemingly lost in thought.  
  
Evan kept his eyes locked on Kitty. He'd noticed how she had changed the past few weeks and with his participation in the incident this morning, was in no mood to draw her attention to himself. Standing quietly, he grabbed the milk carton and put it back in the fridge.  
  
Kitty was knocked back into the present when she heard the fridge door shut. realizing she wasn't alone, she turned and saw Evan cringing. "Oh, like hi Evan. Didn't see you come in."  
  
Even couldn't decide if he would be exposing himself to another tirade if he responded or a chewing out if he just ignored her and left. Finally deciding that being minorly polite was the least likely to get him in trouble, sat back down at the table across from Kitty. "I just got some milk. I was planning to grab my board and head out."  
  
Kitty just nodded and took another bite of the apple.  
  
Inwardly fidgeting, Evan finally decided to bring up what happened this morning. "You know Kitty, I'm really sorry for this morning. I was just trying to help you out. It seemed like a good idea at the time."  
  
Kitty sighed and threw the apple across the room into the garbage can. "That's ok Evan. I've just like had a ton of stuff happening to me lately. And then this came up. I just totally didn't have the patience to deal with it after we came back from Colorado."  
  
Evan, relieved that she didn't blame him, continued. "It just kinda threw us for a loop. I knew that you and Lance were close, but him getting you pregnant just didn't seem like something you would do. So we figured we'd grab him and have a nice long chat."  
  
Kitty frowned. "Like why does everyone think Lance would 'ever' have anything to do with.that. I don't even like him. He tries to be nice, but he's just a creep."  
  
Evan nodded and started to respond when Xavier's mental voice boomed throughout the mansion. -X-men, get to the isolation room immediately.-  
  
They both looked at each other for a second before springing up and running out of the kitchen.  
  
Isolation Ward  
  
Hank placed the next slide under the clamps on the microscopes tray. Adjusting the focus, he took a closer look at the blood sample. He noted the shape of the biconvex red blood cells and the unclassified masses of what appeared to be protein that formed the majority of the otherwise fluid plasma. Jotting down his observations, he leaned back and started tapping the pen on the desk. Reaching to the cabinet over his desk, he pulled out a Twinkie and started chewing. He reached for another slide when he heard a tearing noise. Spinning around, he saw three metal blades poking out of the wall of the isolation room. Reaching out, he grabbed the air-gun and brought it to bear on the claws. Using his other hand to press the intercom, he spoke quickly. "Professor, it appears as though Logan's scenario was correct. The boy is endeavoring to escape."  
  
The Professor's voice came back in a hiss of static. "Try to restrain him Hank, I'm sending the team down to assist you."  
  
Hank spoke back. "I will do my utmost Professor."  
  
He turned back to the holes in the isolation room. The claws had retracted from the hole and all was silent for a moment. The claws were thrust back into the wall and a muted roar was heard as the claws ripped through the steel walls like tissue paper. Two more rents in the metal were made and a section of the wall came crashing down. Hank pointed the air-gun at the opening, preparing to shoot the boy when he came through. His finger jerked and fired a dart when the boy came barreling out of the rent. The dart missed. Hank adjusted his aim and while the boy was sliding across the tile floor, let two more darts fly. The boy roared as the darts bit into his shoulder. Coming to a halt against the wall, he rolled into a crouch and shook for a second before reaching up and ripping the darts out of his skin. Hank blinked. The sedative in those darts was something he made himself. One dart was guaranteed to almost instantly subdue someone of his own size. A boy a that barely reached his shoulder shouldn't be able to shrug two off like they were mosquito bites.  
  
The boy's eyes locked on Hanks hands. Growling, he started backing up slowly, eyes scanning the room for a way out. Hank took the opportunity to fire four more darts at the boy, all of them hit and they had much the same effect. The boy just shivered for a moment before tearing the darts out and continuing to back up. Hank grabbed a new clip of darts and was sliding it into the gun when the boy roared and sprung his claws. Spinning on his knee, he tore the legs off a fixed examination table and hit it with his shoulder, knocking it to the ground. Hank dropped the gun when the boy reached down, grabbed the table and with a roar, hurled the six hundred pound table across the room like a discuss.  
  
Hank sprang to the side and barely avoided getting crushed as the table slammed into the desk he had been working on. Glass shards and wood splinters scattered from the crushed workstation. Hank rolled free and came to his feet. He dropped into a crouch when he saw the boy bounding across the room at him, snarling like a wolf. Hank reached out with his massive hands and caught the boys wrists before the claws had punched into his chest.  
  
Falling onto his back from the impact, he rolled to the wall and shot his feet out, grabbing the boys ankles. Straining against the boy's apparently monumental strength, he grunted and held the boy suspended in the air. The boy thrashed around wildly, trying to break free.  
  
Xavier rolled into the medlab at that point. Quickly assessing the danger, he reached out with his mind and tried to calm the child down. Straining, Xavier fought the boy's mind. Trying to force the rage down proved to be impossible, the boy's mind was unfocused and the rage was making it too slippery to hold. Not wanting to give the boy a psychic blast, he continued to battle for calm.  
  
The boy continued to struggle against Hanks hold. Suddenly going completely still, Hank adjusted his grip. The boy sniffed the air a few times, a barely audible rumble starting in his chest. Realizing that the danger had passed and the Professor had been successful, he rolled to his side and let the boy's ankles go. The Professor's eyes snapped open and he shouted. "No Hank!"  
  
He didn't have time to react as the boy curled his legs up to his chest and slammed his feet into his chest, blowing his grip off his wrists. The boy's powerful kick launched him back across the medlab. Rolling on the tile, he jammed his claws into the floor to stop himself and scrambled to his feet.  
  
Xavier had just finished mentally checking Hank, making sure he was still conscious. Turning back, he saw the boy sprinting across the room, claws extended and roaring at the top of his lungs. He quickly gathered the energy necessary for a blast powerful enough to render the boy unconscious. Reaching out and making contact with the boy's mind, he was about to release the blast when Kitty phased through the wall and screamed, "NO! STOP!"  
  
Both Xavier and Kitty were both surprised when the boy did just that, he stopped. The boy came to a halt and stared at Kitty for a moment, his nose flaring wide as he smelled the room. Suddenly, his claws retracted and he sat down on the floor with an innocent expression.  
  
Xavier blinked. He mentally ran over the past few seconds and was astonished when it hit him. The boy had caught Kitty's scent and the rage and aggressiveness had vanished like morning mist. The boys mind had also snapped into a subservient mindset and had unthinkingly and instantly obeyed her order to stop. Probing the boys mind again, he was still astonished at the utter lack of anger present.  
  
Kitty was absolutely stunned. The boy was looking into her eyes with an almost expectant look. She tried to break eye contact, but the boy's brown eyes froze her. She was too stunned to speak. The boy seemed to be waiting for something. After a few seconds, the boy blinked and broke the spell. Kitty took a deep breath and croaked out a "huh?"  
  
The boy got to his feet and took a wide-eyed glance around the room. He sniffed the air again before turning and walking calmly to the shattered desk. Stepping over the glass shards, he opened the cabinet and pulled out Hanks stash of Twinkies. Holding the box in his hands, he walked past a flabbergasted Hank and returned to the exact spot he had been sitting at a few moments earlier.  
  
Flopping down onto the ground, the boy sniffed the box a few times. Rolling it over in his hands, he bit down on a corner. Frowning and spitting out the hunk of cardboard, he sniffed in the hole. His eyes lit up and he tore the box in half, dropping the plastic wrapped snacks all over the floor. Picking one up, he sniffed it once before cramming it, plastic and all, into his mouth.  
  
Scott, Evan, and Rogue all came running into the room. Scott's hands flew to his sunglasses and spikes snapped into existence on Evan's arms.  
  
Xavier's voice cut into the silence. "Stop. Scott, Evan, stand down."  
  
Scott reluctantly dropped his hand from his shades. Taking in the devastation, he was unwilling to drop his guard. Even if the boy was just sitting calmly eating Twinkies.  
  
Turning back to the Professor, he spoke. "What happened Professor? It looks like that thing went berserk in here."  
  
Xavier glanced at Kitty for a moment before answering. "He apparently found out that the walls could not stop him and he tried to escape. The damage you see was a scuffle between Hank and him. Kitty entered the room and stopped the altercation."  
  
Scott glanced at Kitty's still shocked face. "Kitty? how did she stop him?"  
  
Xavier smiled. Now he understood. A quick glance at the files they recovered would confirm it. "She told him to stop."  
  
Everyone's mouths dropped open. Scott was the first to recover. "She 'told' him to stop? How would that stop him?"  
  
Xavier smiled. "Kitty?" Kitty shook herself and looked at the Professor. "Kitty, I want you to stand very still. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen and everyone is perfectly safe." Kitty swallowed and nodded.  
  
Briefly glancing back at the boy, he made sure he was still eating. He then spoke. "Scott, I want you to very slowly walk towards Kitty. Do not make any sudden movements."  
  
Scott glanced between Xavier and Kitty. Finally shrugging his shoulders, he took two steps towards Kitty when a menacing growl erupted to his left. He stopped and turned his head. The boy had dropped a half-eaten Twinkie and was crouched down growling, looking ready to spring across the room. Scott felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was motionless. The boy's growl grew louder as he unfolded from the floor and twitched forward. Scott stared at the intense anger the boy had on his face. The Professor's mental voice sounded in his head. -That's enough Scott, back up slowly.-- Scott retreated back to the door and the boy stopped growling as loudly.  
  
The boy looked at the snacks and glanced back at Scott, frowning. Sniffing the air, he snapped his eyes to Kitty. He bent down and grabbed the still full half of the torn box in a hand before stalking towards Kitty.  
  
The tension in the room skyrocketed with each step the boy took. Kitty was about to bolt when Xavier spoke to her. -You are perfectly safe Kitty. Just don't move, this should be very interesting for you.-  
  
Kitty forced herself to calm down, but refused to as much as blink incase the boy went nuts and she had to phase. The boy stalked over to her and sat down on the ground between her and Scott. Kitty blinked, utterly dumbfounded. The boy's eyes never left Scott's face as he reached down and picked up a Twinkie. Scott had to fight a flinch when a claw snapped out and sliced one in half. Scott swallowed and took another step backwards.  
  
Hank and regained his feet and a clipboard. "Interesting. He seems to see Kitty as a pack member of sorts. Classic lupine pack behavior. I don't understand why though Professor."  
  
Xavier gazed at the boy as he sat on the floor eating. Finally looking up, he spoke. "Hank, I believe I know, but I need to verify this. Kitty?" Kitty jerked and looked to the Professor. The boy dropped his food and flowed into a combat stance while scanning the room. Xavier smiled. "Kitty, I'm going to need you to stay down here. Don't worry, you are in absolutely no danger. In fact, you are currently in the safest place you can be." And with that, he rolled out of the room.  
  
Kitty looked at the boy crouched next to her. "Safe? You have totally got to be kidding." 


	8. Chapter 8

Feral Bonds Chapter 8  
  
Morgannia: I'm glad you are finding this story enjoyable. I honestly don't know if I'm going to put any pairing in this story at all. Other than that, I already have the rest of this story outlined. Left it open though so I could put one in if it was warranted. But to be perfectly honest, the chance of it becoming a kurrty is pretty low. As is obviously seen in the earlier chapters, I suck at writing Kurt. 8P But who knows.  
  
Disclaimer: I realized I hadn't bothered to put one of these on the past few chapters, so here goes. Even after all this typing, I still don't own anything that relates to x-men. Kinda destroys the adage that says "Work hard enough, and you'll get what you want." One word accurately describes my feelings on the subject.  
  
"Feh"  
  
Oh well, on with the show.  
  
Isolation ward  
  
Xavier rolled back into the medlab holding a thick sheaf of papers. He took a look around and saw that Hank had mostly disposed of the glass and wood shards from the destroyed desk. Satisfied that things were getting back to normal, he turned to Kitty and inwardly chuckled. She was standing rigid as a metal beam, he eyes never leaving the boy sitting on the floor next to her. She didn't quite believe him when he told her she was absolutely safe where she was.  
  
Her still wide eyes locked with his. "Professor? Can't you like make him go away?"  
  
Xavier sat the sheaf of papers down and spoke. "No Kitty, I can't." Her face fell. "But you can."  
  
Kitty's face went rigid with shock again and she asked. "Huh? How can I do anything with..." gesturing at the boy "..him."  
  
Xavier smiled and answered her. "Just like you did before Kitty. Merely tell him what you want him to do."  
  
Kitty blinked. "Why me Professor?"  
  
Xavier just kept smiling. "Trust me Kitty, just tell him what you want him to do."  
  
Logan came running into the room, skidding to a stop next to the Professor, he crouched down and sprang his claws. The boy instantly let his own claws snap out of his hand and jumped to his feet, placing himself between Kitty and Logan. Growling, his legs bunched and he was about to leap when Kitty belted out. "STOP! SIT DOWN!" And Logan's eyebrow arched when the boy instantly retracted his claws and dropped to the floor, silent as death.  
  
Logan relaxed and turned to the Professor. "What the hell is this Chuck."  
  
Xavier reached down and picked up the sheaf of papers. "This is the printout of the file we retrieved from the complex in Colorado Logan. I've read parts and I have discovered a few answers to some of our questions."  
  
Logan let his claws slide back into his forearms, sensing that there really wasn't any danger here, even with the hole in the wall and shattered desk. "And?"  
  
Xavier chuckled. "First off. He does not have a name. Or at least not a recorded name. He is referred to as the Weapon mk2 throughout this document. Second, and as we can plainly see, his claws, unlike yours Logan, are not natural. Third, they were deliberately keeping him feral. Along with the operations you saw, he was kept in a cage. Fourth, I deduced why he is acting the way he is towards Kitty. Literally, he's been programmed to."  
  
Logan scowled. "Programmed? What sort of programming."  
  
Xavier flipped through the pages of the document. "Instead of attempting to control him with electronics and drugs like they tried on the original Weapon X project, they manipulated his genetics to 'imprint' on one person. They hoped that this would give them an unbreakable control over him. They even went as far as having a mutant telepathically reinforce this instinct. They implanted a suggestion that would keep him from imprinting to anyone but the person they picked. The trigger was the unique pheromones given off by a pregnant woman."  
  
All eyes turned to Kitty. "I'm totally NOT pregnant! Why do people keep like bringing it up!"  
  
Xavier continued. "Calm down Kitty, it's a simple reason. Remember when Hank prescribed you birth control pills last month?" She nodded, still not comprehending what that had to do with anything. Xavier turned to Hank. "If you would explain?"  
  
Hank adjusted his glasses and started speaking. "Current iterations of birth control, particularly the pills you were prescribed, work by fooling the body into believing it's carrying a fetus. That includes changing the hormone levels which in turn will change your scent Kitty."  
  
Xavier continued. "To put it simply Kitty, you were in the right place at the right time with the right scent. He.." gesturing at the boy "..imprinted on you. Just like they planned to do with their own Controller. Fortunately for both him and us, they had not planned to bring the controller in until after the bonding process was finished."  
  
Kitty blinked. "So?"  
  
Xavier grinned. "It looks like you just acquired a guardian angel Kitty. Your voice and scent is the only thing that will control him for the moment. And with his instincts, you could not possibly be safer. As we saw earlier with Scott and here with Logan, he is quite protective of you. And as you determined for us, he does understand some language to at least a minimal degree."  
  
Kitty looked down, watching the boy. He just crouched there, perfectly still, looking for all the world like a statue. But she somehow knew that his eyes were locked on Logan, the latest supposed threat. Reaching down, she poked a finger into his bare shoulder. Other than a slight twitching of the skin, he didn't move. Taking a step backwards, she saw his head swivel smoothly to the side, his left eye locking on hers. He still didn't move and she almost laughed with the sudden break of her tension when she saw the utterly innocent expression on his face. Deciding to test the Professor's statement, she pointed to the hole in the wall. "Um.like go to your room."  
  
The boy looked to the hole in the wall and back to her, his brow dropping and the hospital pants and Twinkie remains that covered his face notwithstanding, he looked like a student having a particularly hard time on a test. She pointed again. "Go in there." He looked back at the hole, the look of concentration still on his face.  
  
Kitty turned back to the Professor. "He totally doesn't understand Professor."  
  
Xavier folded his hands under his chin and thought for a moment. Logan jumped in. "I really don't like this Chuck."  
  
Xavier to him. "It's just temporary Logan. And much better than the alternative."  
  
Logan snorted. "Yea. I don't want to watch it. I'll be at Harry's." and with that, he stalked out of the room.  
  
Xavier turned back to Kitty. "Perhaps you should make your commands more simple Kitty. I think he only knows a few words."  
  
Kitty sucked her bottom lip in and chewed on it for a moment. Her eyes suddenly lit up. She looked at the expectant face of the boy. "I'm like really sorry about this." She walked over to the hole in the wall and turned around. She called out in a clear voice, "Here boy!" and smacked her thigh twice. Scott and Evan snickered before the Professor's disapproving glance stopped them in their tracks.  
  
The boy stood up and with a quick look around the room walked slowly towards Kitty, his eyes never leaving the other occupants in the room. Walking up to Kitty, he stopped and dropped into a half-crouch. She pointed into the hole again. "Go." He looked at her quizzically and just stood there. She stamped her foot in frustration. "I want you to totally go in there right now!" He cocked his head to the side and looked at her pointing hand. She was just about to push him in the room when he suddenly stood up straight and walked into the isolation room. Her mouth closed with a click.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and stepped back from the hole. Waiting a few seconds to make sure nothing happened, she turned and walked over to the Professor. "That was totally surreal Professor. Is he gonna like stay like that?"  
  
Xavier inwardly chuckled when he couldn't tell if Kitty's expression was hopeful or disappointing. "I do have a plan that might separate you from your new.friend." He just couldn't keep the grin off his face this time.  
  
Kitty groaned and rolled her eyes. "Just do something, he's creepy on 'so' many levels. I mean he just walked in there." Pointing back at the hole, she saw the boy standing there staring at her. She put her face in her hands and groaned. She turned and pointed back inside the room. "Go back in and sit down." Turning back to Xavier. "This is totally creeping me out Professor, do something."  
  
Xavier was quiet for a moment. "Jean should be here momentarily. I've explained to her what we are going to try to do to him already." Patting her on the shoulder, he gave her a sympathetic smile. "We should be done soon."  
  
Kitty glanced between the hole and Xavier. "Is he gonna be like ok? It's not gonna hurt him or anything right?"  
  
Xavier smiled. "I'm proud of you Kitty. Not many people in your position would even attempt to show compassion to him. In answer to your question, I don't believe it will harm him, but this is an untested procedure. It will turn out how it turns out." Glancing over at the door way as Jean walked in, he finished. "We will need you to settle him down when we approach him. Preferably, try to get him to lay down on the bed."  
  
Kitty glanced back into the room and saw the bed, or what was left of it. And the boy just sitting against the wall, looking at her blankly. She turned to Xavier and Jean. "That's like no problem."  
  
Xavier and Jean followed Kitty into the room. Kitty gestured for him to stand up and come over. "Come on Mark, come over here."  
  
Jean exchanged a glance with Xavier. "Mark?"  
  
Kitty turned to her. "Yea, the Professor said they like called him the mk2, so why not just call him Mark?" She gestured to the boy, who appeared to be paying rapt attention to her. "See? He totally responds to it anyway. And I like don't want to keep thinking of him as boy or guy."  
  
Xavier just nodded. "Mark it is then."  
  
Mark walked over to Kitty and stood there, staring at Jean and Xavier. Kitty pushed down on his shoulder and he went down on the remaining half of the bed, his head more or less level with Xavier's arms.  
  
Xavier looked at Jean for a moment. She turned and walked towards Mark. Kitty grabbed his hands and held them there as he started to growl. "They are friends." Clenching his wrists to get his attention. "Just lie there, they are going to help you." Seeing that he didn't understand her, she thought for a moment. "Ok. Mark, STOP!" His body went rigid and the growling cut off like someone had thrown a switch.  
  
Xavier and Jean both placed their hands on Mark's head and closed their eyes.  
  
In the Mindscape  
  
Xavier felt Jean reach out and envelop the boys mind. She was holding it tightly, keeping any new thoughts from forming, and building a bridge between himself and the boy. He pushed his own consciousness forward. Feeling his body lighten for a moment, he gasped as he arrived in a blank void occupied with only a single cage. He walked to the cage and saw the boy in the corner, unmoving. Banishing the bars with a thought, he stepped into the cage and picked the inert form of the boy up. Stepping outside the cage, he turned and tried to banish the entire cage. He frowned when the cage wavered, but remained. Trying again brought the same results. He thought for a moment before willing the cage to take on the form of a room, complete with a door. Shutting the door he turned and gazed into the void.  
  
Pulling on both his own memories and Jean's impressions of the people she knew, he painstakingly carved out a world in the void. Placing people and places around in a generic representation of the world. He reached deeply into the nothingness and placed the English language into a box that formed out of the void. A blank pegboard winked into existence next to him. Drawing on Scott's love for order, he summoned a ruler and sat it down. He then drew on Jean's ability to interact with other people, he summoned a set of her soccer shoes and a trophy and put them on the board. Next, he drew on Kurt's ability to find and make humor, he summoned a multicolored ball and sat it down. Next he drew on Eric's ability to focus and his determination, summoning Eric's helmet, he placed it over the ball on the board. He then started summoning objects at random, settling them down on the table, forming a large pile when he was finished.  
  
Jean blinked into existence next to him. "Are you almost finished Professor? I don't know if I can hold this for much longer." Xavier turned to her. "I believe that I have at least the basics of a working personality here. Would you double check? I can hold his mind." Jean blinked and the world shifted as she took control of the mindscape. Turning to the table, it shimmered and changed to a computer. Jean sat down in a chair and started looking through the files. She went through the files for a few minutes before turning the chair to Xavier. "I've never even heard of something like this happening before, but I want to say that it looks ok." Xavier nodded and passed the psychic hold back to Jean and the world shifted again. Stepping back to the computer, he reasserted his control over the world and willed it back to the pegboard table. Laying the body down on the table, he stepped back. "Jean, I'm going to need your help to fuse this personality together. Don't try to interpret anything, just lend me your power." Jean nodded and placed her hand on his shoulder. Xavier put his fingers on his temple and concentrated hard.  
  
The table started to glow with an inner light. The intensity slowly building, the objects next to Mark started to shudder and move. The glow suddenly flared to a nova-bright intensity and the only thing Jean could see was the still body of the boy laying amid the burst of light. The light started shifting colors, flashing from white to red to green and back to white again. A hot wind began screaming past her, flowing to the light. Xavier grunted and stepped forward. Reaching out, he grabbed the edges of the light and..folded them in towards the boy. The winds reached hurricane intensity as the light got smaller and smaller. With one final shove, the edges of the light touched and it collapsed down into the boy. Jean blinked and looked around. The mindscape had changed from a void to the hallways of a hospital.  
  
Xavier opened a door and stepped into the hallway with Jean. She noticed that his face was pale and he was breathing heavily. Reaching out and pulling his arm over her shoulder for support, she spoke. "Are you alright Professor?"  
  
Xavier drew a few deep breaths before responding. "Yes Jean, I'm fine. I'm just tired." He looked up and scanned the halls. "It looks like we were successful Jean. I was not entire sure this was even possible. And if we had any other recourse, I would have never known." Grabbing her shoulder, he led her to the front doors. "Let's go back. I don't want to linger here too long, this personality is still unstable." Jean nodded and they stepped through the doors, vanishing into the light.  
  
Isolation room  
  
Kitty leaned back against the padded wall, sipping the Coke Hank had brought in an hour ago. Sitting the can down, she glanced at the three other people in the room for what had to be the millionth time. Movement in the corner snapped her back to alertness. Turning her head she saw Mr. Macoy's head poking into the room. He smiled at her and spoke. It appears as though they are still at it."  
  
Kitty grabber a forelock of her hair. "Yea, they've totally been just standing there for hours."  
  
Hank smiled. "Patience is a virtue Kitty."  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "It's still boring. And I gotta sit here and do like nothing while they do their head stuff."  
  
Hank was about to respond when the Professor and Jean both shivered and opened their eyes. Reaching out, he grasped Jean's arm and kept her from collapsing onto the floor. "Are you all right Jean?"  
  
She took a few deep breaths before answering. "Yes Mr. Macoy, I'm fine. Just a little, winded I guess you could call it."  
  
Hank guided her to a chair. "I'd love to sit down and have you describe what happened in there. When you are rested of course."  
  
Jean smiled, knowing that Beast would never pass an opportunity to learn something new. "Sure, talk to me on Thursday after school."  
  
Xavier rolled out of the isolation room with a gaunt look on his face. "Jean, Hank, I'm going to turn in. Make sure Kitty doesn't leave the boy.or Mark if you will, tonight. His psyche needs to adjust and if he wakes up without her there, it may cause permanent damage."  
  
Kitty was stepping out of the isolation room when she heard the Professor's request. "You mean I have to stay down here like all night?!"  
  
Xavier turned his bloodshot eyes to her. "Yes Kitty, but just for tonight. He should be stable enough tomorrow to function on his own."  
  
Hank spoke up. "The portable beds we store down here are actually quite comfortable Kitty."  
  
Kitty stood still for a moment before throwing her hands up in frustration. "Fine, I'll stay, but I'm going to crash like right now."  
  
Hank pointed out the spare room that contained the beds and Kitty dragged herself in, letting the door bang shut behind her. He turned to the Professor. "Was your venture successful Professor?"  
  
Xavier leaned back in his chair. "For the most part it appears to be successful. However, I was unable to break the imprinting. I'm afraid that Kitty has acquired a shadow for the time being. Either way, I am exhausted, so good night to you both."  
  
Hank watched Xavier and Jean stagger out of the medlab. Glancing to the storage room where Kitty was, he spoke quietly. "Your life is about to take a most unexpected turn little one." He then turned back to what was left of his desk and started picking through the bigger debris. 


	9. Chapter 9

Feral Bonds Chapter 9 REVISED  
  
Oops, originally uploaded my rough draft. Fixed it.  
  
Morgannia: I appreciate the vote of confidence. Who knows, I might just put a pairing or two in for kicks.  
  
Juice: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the mindscape. That had to be the single hardest scene in this fic so far. How do you describe a telepath constructing a personality in a nonvisual medium? Break out the symbolic representation! Honestly I didn't know how this was going to be received.  
  
Pyrolova: I appreciate it.  
  
Xavier's Institute Medlab  
  
Kitty slowly swam back to consciousness. Feeling the light from the hallway hitting her eyes, she rolled over and started to pull the covers over her head when she saw a dark outline looming over her. Letting out a piercing scream, she slammed into the ground when she accidentally phased through the bed. Scrambling away, she saw two bare feet that poked out of green pant legs. She phased through the supports of the bed and started sprinting for the door when she finally focused on the form standing next to her bed.  
  
Mark was standing to the left of the bed, hands on the rail and shirtless. He had turned his head towards Kitty and was looking at her with a puzzled expression. He reached out and poked the bed with a finger before grabbing the sheets in one hand and ripping them off. They fluttered to the floor as he continued to poke the mattress.  
  
Kitty willed her heart to stop wildly pumping. "JESUS CHRIST!" She walked to the next bed and sat down heavily. "What the hell were you like doing?"  
  
Mark gave the mattress one more hard poke before turning to her. "You fell."  
  
Kitty sighed. "No I didn't. I kinda phased my way through the." Kitty stopped and blinked. "Did you just say I fell?"  
  
Mark stared at her for a moment. Just as she was about to repeat her question, a look of comprehension appeared on his face and he answered. "Yes." He then turned back to the bed and poked it again.  
  
Kitty was speechless. This was the first time he had spoken since they had rescued him. She turned and pushed the door open an inch. "Mr. Macoy! Come here quick! He's 'talking'!" Hank pushed the door open and almost burst into laughter at the sight of a gaping Kitty to his left and Mark poking his finger into a bed to his right. He was puzzled as to why Mark was doing it, but he soon recalled Kitty's penchant for phasing through her bed. He stepped into the room and flicked the lights on. He took a step towards Kitty when he heard a barely audible growl. Looking up, he saw that Mark had abandoned his mattress poking and was fully turned towards him and was staring at him with narrowed eyes. Hank remembered the Professor talking about not being able to break the imprinting during the procedure. Turning and walking to a bed across the room from Kitty, he noted that the growling had stopped.  
  
He sat down the clipboard he was carrying and hopped onto the bed. His eyes tracked Mark as he walked over to the corner bed that Kitty was sitting on and stood motionless beside her. Kitty glanced between them, a small frown on her face. "Um..yea. Anyway Mr. Macoy, he like totally spoke."  
  
Hank smiled. "I assure you Kitty, it is to be expected. From the report the Professor sent down this morning, the ability to speak was the first thing he implanted during their... operation."  
  
Kitty nodded before turning to Mark. She gestured to Hank. "So.. like say something."  
  
His eyebrows fell and his face took on a look of massive concentration.  
  
Several minutes later, still waiting in silence, Hank spoke. "Perhaps we should let him get used to his new understanding Kitty. I don't think he is quite ready to vocalize yet."  
  
Kitty shook her head. "I really don't think so Mr. Macoy. He did this earlier, I think he's like trying to figure out what I said. He's just slow."  
  
Hank picked up his clipboard and started writing. "Ah, he's probably trying to integrate the language into his working personality, fascinating."  
  
Mark's head lifted a moment later. "She fell."  
  
Hank's face split into a nearly disturbing grin. "It appears as though he's integrating well. He can determine you are female and that you wanted him to say something to me."  
  
The set of double doors whisked open and Xavier rolled in with Storm at his side. "Ah, he has awoken. Tell me Mark, how do you feel?" He was met with silence. He folded his hands under his nose and his eyes turned to Kitty.  
  
She responded to his unspoken question. "It takes him a minute to like figure out what you are saying." Xavier nodded and they all waited patiently for his response.  
  
Unfortunately, it was not the response they were looking for. Mark glanced around and walked off. Four sets of eyes tracked him as he walked back to the bed and resumed examining the bed Kitty had originally been on.  
  
Hank chuckled at the almost shocked look on the Professor's face. Xavier's brow lifted in question and Hank replied. "It seems he startled our young Kitty and she phased through her bed. I believe he's looking for the hole Professor."  
  
Xavier smiled. "I imagine that it came as quite a shock to him to see."  
  
Meanwhile, Kitty had walked over to Mark and was trying to get him to stop. "Like, just watch." She phased her hand through the bed a few times. "See? There isn't anything wrong with it." He looked between her hand and the bed before resting his own on the spot she had phased through. A snort left him as he tapped the bed a few times just to make sure. Kitty flinched when his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her own in an iron grip. Before she could phase, he had pulled her hand over to the bed and gently pushed down. She grinned before tugging her hand out of his grasp. She was saved from trying to explain why she could do it, but he couldn't by Scott's timely entrance.  
  
Scott walked in with a large duffel bag over his shoulder. After a quick glance at Mark, he handed the bag to Storm. "Everything you wanted is in there. We just got back from Forge's and the gloves are in there as well." Storm nodded and took the bag's strap from Scott. He stared at Mark for a few seconds before turning on a heel and walking out.  
  
Xavier turned to Kitty and Mark. "Kitty, I took the liberty of sending Jubilee to the mall this morning and picking up some clothing. And Forge was nice enough to produce these." He reached into the bag and removed two black fingerless gloves. "These have adnamantium laced through them. Mark should not be able to extend his claws while wearing them." Seeing the frown starting to form on her face, he added. "It is just temporary. Until his personality fully fuses and he integrates it all, you are still the only ironclad method of control we have over him. And you do have to go to school eventually."  
  
Kitty 'eeeped' and glanced at the clock, almost visibly choking when she saw that she had slept in past three. She threw the Professor a worried glance.  
  
Xavier smiled. "It's alright Kitty, I've already explained to the school that you would not be attending for the next few days." He inwardly laughed at the relief that flooded her face. "Now why don't you go ahead and get him dressed. Then bring him upstairs for something to eat. A change in scenery and meeting the rest of the team should do him some good."  
  
Storm sat the bag down on a bed and looked at Kitty, a small grin barely visible on her face before she walked out and tossed a "Good luck." over her shoulder.  
  
Kitty looked at the bag like it was a two hundred pound slug. Glancing at the Professor, she spoke. "Um.. like why do I have to like dress him?" Xavier leaned forward on the arms of his chair. "I am quite certain he does not know how to operate a zipper or for that matter, tie his shoes. He will need an inordinate amount of your help for at least the next few days Kitty."  
  
Kitty sucked her bottom lip in and chewed on it for a moment. "Why can't you like, just.." She waved her hands next to her head. "..you know, put it in him or something?"  
  
Xavier shook his head. "I don't want to subject him to any further mental shocks until he's fully healed. And there was not sufficient time to add that information last night."  
  
Kitty looked from Xavier to the innocent expression Mark seemed to have permanently etched on his face, unless he was raging of course. She slowly opened the bag and rooted around until she pulled a pair of blue jeans out. Looking closely at them, she turned to the Professor. "How do you know any of this is going to fit anyway?"  
  
He grinned, "Well I 'am' psychic you know."  
  
Kitty smiled herself. Pulling the tags off the jeans she handed them to Mark and dove back into the bag. Pulling out a black long-sleeved t-shirt, a pair of leather engineer boots, a package of socks and, she suddenly froze as she pulled out a pair of boxers. Turning to Xavier and dropping them like they were live snakes, she spoke. "Oh hell no Professor. There is like 'no way' I'm helping him with those."  
  
Xavier had to focus all of his considerable willpower to keep himself from laughing. "Kitty, he does need them."  
  
Kitty cut him off with a hand gesture. "Professor, if the fate of the world was totally hanging on whether or not I like helped him put those on, we would all die. Just hell no."  
  
Xavier nodded, still straining not to burst out in laughter. "Very well Kitty, but you do need to get him dressed. He will not let anyone else close enough yet."  
  
With that, Xavier and Hank both filed out the door leaving Kitty alone with Mark. With the long-suffering sigh only a teen can produce, she turned back to Mark. "Ok, like put those on." Gesturing to the pants he had in his arms. He looked at the jeans then back to her, no comprehension visible on his face. She thought for a moment before reaching down and gently tugging on the medical scrubs he had on to draw his attention to them. "Ok, see these?" Another tug. "And those?" She tugged on the jeans. "Like put those on instead of those." He glanced between the jeans and the scrubs. Looking back at her, his eyes lit up. he threw the pants over his shoulder and dropped the scrubs. Kitty spun around so fast she felt dizzy. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to banished the image of mark standing there totally naked. She squeaked/yelled "Professor! He's like naked!"  
  
She almost missed the barely audible snickering from the next room. Thoughts of revenge ran rampant through her head.  
  
Hearing a zipper run a few times, she covered her eyes and slowly turned around. Gathering her courage, she peeked out between two fingers. She blew a sigh of relief when she saw he had actually gotten himself covered to an extent.  
  
Grabbing the rest of the clothes, she quickly finished dressing him. Turning back to the bag, she picked up the gloves. She looked at them for a moment before turning back to Mark. "Ok, like I totally want you to do your claw thing." making gestures like claws sprouting from her hands she waited for him to catch on.  
  
He watched her hand gestures closely for a second before raising his right hand and sliding the two claws out. Kitty smiled. "That's right! Now put them back in." After some additional gestures, the claws retracted. She noticed that the outer claw wobbled a bit when it was extended. Filing that away for something to tell the Professor later, she grabbed his hand and strapped the glove on. Mark frowned and flexed his hand before looking at her questioningly. Kitty mined extending claws again and the front of the gloves jerked outwards. He frowned and reached for the glove to take it off. Kitty grabbed his hand and shook her head. "You have to wear those for a while. Put the other one on." She handed him the left glove and watched as he slid it over his fist.  
  
Kitty grabbed his arm and started leading him out of the room. "Time to meet the rest of the x-men." 


	10. Chapter 10

Feral Bonds Chapter 10  
  
Couple of problems cropped up. First, I uploaded the wrong version of the file and posted my rough draft. I went back and uploaded the revised copy, so you might want to reread it so the glaring plot holes and general stupid mistakes aren't there. Second, sorry for the short chapter on ch9. I just had this insane desire to finish it right there and get it posted. I personally blame the makers of those pyramid hats.  
  
"Feh"  
  
The reviewer known as Me: Um, wow. I'm glad you enjoy the story. I'm trying to portray Mark as realistically as possible given that he's in a world with people that fly/shoot crap out of their eyes/etc. It's gratifying to know that I seem to be succeeding.  
  
Kitchen Xavier's Institute for the Gifted  
  
The oak hallway doors leading from the hallway flew open as a gaggle of teenagers came pouring in from their day at school. Kurt dropped his bag on the table and grabbed a Coke from the fridge. Sipping it, he started in on the preparation of his after school 'snack'. The rest of the students talked loudly amongst themselves. He had just plastered the seventh layer of ham on his sandwich when he noticed Kitty walk in the door and turn to say something to someone, probably the Professor. He took a step forward to ask how she was doing when he nearly dropped the coke on the floor. Walking behind her was the guy they had rescued. His mind almost short circuited trying to decide weather he should run screaming for the Professor, or start evacuating the younger students. He finally settled on croaking out a warning shout when the next thing he saw froze the air in his lungs and the coke finally slipped from his fingers.  
  
Kitty walked into the dining room, wondering at the reaction Mark was going to get. She knew that the report on what had happened in Colorado had to have gotten out and circulated around the students. She almost giggled when she saw the look of absolute horror on Kurt's face. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Mark was just standing at the door, a blank look on his face and he was absolutely still. She reached back and grabbed his hand, jolting him out of his trance. "Come on in, you have to like meet everyone eventually anyway."  
  
Mark stared at her for just a second before he let out a, "Ok." and walked into the Kitchen. He let Kitty start dragging him into the room when a loud 'crack' shot through the room.  
  
Kitty started to flinch when she felt an iron hard arm wrap itself around her waist and lift her off the ground. She let out a startled yelp as she was violently spun around and dropped to the floor. She skidded back almost to the door before she stopped. Catching a flash of motion, she looked up to see Mark vaulting over the table towards Kurt.  
  
Kurt took a step back and glanced down when his coke hit the floor. Cursing inwardly, he reached around to a rack and grabbed a towel to clean up the mess when he heard a yelp. Whipping his head around, he saw that Kitty had vanished and the guy was airborne and speeding in his direction with a snarl on his face. Kurt's reflexes snapped into play and he felt the twinge in his spine that always appeared just before he ported. The guy was almost within striking distance when Kurt felt the twinge spread and he exploded into a cloud of black smoke.  
  
Mark slammed into the counted, cracking the heavy marble counter with his shoulder. Bouncing off, he dove for the coke can. His hand wrapped around it and he torqued his hips and spun over in midair. He completed his roll and hurled the can straight at the bay window.  
  
The coke can flew at the glass like a missile. The students all finally ducked when the can impacted the window and glass shards exploded into the lawn.  
  
Kitty quickly stood and starting rubbing her sore rear. Looking at the cringing students, she came to the conclusion that maybe it was a bit soon to have brought Mark up. Hearing a 'psst' above her, she glanced up and saw Kurt hanging from a light fixture.  
  
Kurt took a quick glance at the standing boy before turning back to Kitty. "Katzchen, what just happened?"  
  
Kitty started to open her mouth when Logan's voice cut into the silence. "Easy, I've seen this happen before Elf. He acted like it was a grenade."  
  
Kitty and Kurt both gaped. Kurt flipped down to the floor. "But it was just a soda can Herr Logan."  
  
Logan snorted and took a pull of his bottle. "Yea, well lets just say he's kinda jumpy." And he gestured over to Mark, who was now standing at the window looking out and appearing to be searching for something.  
  
Kitty watched Mark for a second before sighing. "Maybe the Professor should like, take another look at him. He's up here for like ten seconds and he's already terrified the rest of the students and totally destroyed a window."  
  
Mark let go of the windowsill and turned back to the kitchen. His eyes slid over the mass of students that had just started to stand back up. He turned full to Kitty and started walking back to her, his eyes darting between Kurt and Logan. The students he passed stepping back from him. Kitty's face blanched when she noticed Mark grab a large glass shard that was imbedded in his right hand and pull it out with never a change in expression, much less a grunt. He let the bloody shard drop to the ground and stepped up to Kitty. He quickly glanced her over and turned to Logan. They both just stared at one another without moving. Both of their eyes seeming to search for something in the other. Kitty felt rather than heard the sound of two sets of chests rumbling. The next few seconds stretched into a timeless wait as Kitty looked at the two people most likely to inflict severe property damage stare each other down.  
  
Kitty's neck started to constrict from the tension in the room. She started to reach a hand up to rub it when Mark exhaled and turned away from Logan. She saw the small upturn of Logan's lips before he took another pull from his bottle. She knew something had happened, and that it was important, but didn't know exactly what. The one thing she was certain of was that Mark had lost whatever it was.  
  
She was broken out of her reverie when Logan spoke. "Take em on up to the Professor Half-pint. He's waiting."  
  
She nodded and grabbed Mark's arm and began to drag him out when Logan's hand grabbed her shoulder. "He's not a dog on a leash Pryde. Don't treat him like one."  
  
Before she could respond, Logan had finished his bottle and stomped out of the room.  
  
Kitty was still for a moment. A dog on a leash? She wasn't treating him like that.was she? Well, other than the lab, but she couldn't think of anything else to do! Shaking her head and deciding to ask him later, she led Mark up to Xavier's office.  
  
Xavier's office  
  
Kitty was about to knock on the door when she heard the Professor call out. "Come in Kitty, I've been expecting you." Her hand just hung in the air for a moment before she shrugged and stepped into the office. She saw the Professor and Logan talking quietly behind the desk. Leading Mark to a chair, she sat him down and flopped into another chair.  
  
Xavier nodded to Logan and turned back to the two teens. "Well, I obviously heard about the incident in the kitchen. I must say that Mark's reflexes and protective streak are both impressive. However, his judgment is not." He rolled out past the mahogany desk and came to a stop in front of them. He folded his hands under his nose and just looked at them for a moment before leaning back. "From what I've seen today and last night, he's integrating the basic concepts Jean and I implanted, but he's rejecting the details. This worries me."  
  
Kitty scrunched her brows up. "Like what do you mean by details Professor?"  
  
Xavier sighed. "Details like how to interact with people, what constitutes proper behavior, and restraint. If Kurt had not ported when he did, he would have attacked him."  
  
Kitty threw a quick glance over at Mark's impassive face. "Really?"  
  
Xavier grimaced. "Unfortunately so Kitty. He also seems to be rejecting the language as well. I'm afraid that he is going to have to have another session with Jean and myself before I will be willing to expose him to the other students again." He turned and rolled back to his desk. "However, at least one thing occurred that was to our benefit. He and Logan seemed to have resolved the question of who is dominate between them."  
  
Kitty's face clouded. "What do you mean dominate?"  
  
Logan scowled and started cleaning a claw by the bookcase. Xavier glanced at him and paused for a moment. "To put it in the simplest terms possible, they established that Logan is above him in the 'pack' of the people here at the mansion."  
  
Kitty glanced between Mark and Logan. "Pack? Like wolves?"  
  
Xavier smiled slightly. "That is an appropriate analogy Kitty. Mark has rejected the portion of the implant that deals with human interaction and has fallen back on his instincts. And those instincts are telling him that he needs to acquire a position in this pack. I assume that the only reason he is doing this is because he perceives you as a member and as he is imprinted on you, he also needs to become an accepted member."  
  
Kitty looked over at Mark, who still hadn't moved a muscle. Her thoughts wandered back to when he was growling at Hank earlier. "Um Professor, so is that like why he is growling at anyone that gets near me all the time?"  
  
Xavier thought for a moment. "It's a part of it at least Kitty. His overriding instinct has been your protection. From anything. And that includes what he considers 'others'." He sighed and leaned on the desk. "Let me try to explain this to you another way. He considers himself and you to be in a group. He also sees you being a member of another group, but not himself. Even though he is attempting to gain a position in the other group, he perceives them as not part of his pack and therefore they are 'others'. Because of that, he feels the overwhelming need to protect you from them. Thankfully, so far he has only had to resort to intimidation to fulfill that instinct."  
  
Kitty frowned. "That doesn't make sense Professor. Shouldn't he be trying to show off to the students then? I mean if he's like trying to be accepted and all."  
  
Xavier responded gently. "That is true Kitty, if he was thinking rationally. It would be as you say even if he was relying exclusively on his natural instincts. But the addition of the imprinting and the reinforcement it was given are throwing his responses into chaos. He has come to the decision that keeping you from harm is more important than gaining acceptance from the group. It is in a way fortunate that he is in the process of rejecting portions of the personality that we constructed for him. Otherwise, with his instincts pulling him in two directions could have rendered him quite insane by now."  
  
Kitty swallowed. "Like how crazy Professor?"  
  
Xavier just sat for a moment before responding. "Enough that it doesn't benefit us to dwell on what might have happened."  
  
Everyone's attention was drawn to the door as Jean walked through it. She nodded at the Professor and sat down in a chair.  
  
Xavier returned the nod and spoke. "Thanks for coming Jean. I've already explained what I want to accomplish today with you, but I haven't informed Kitty."  
  
Kitty broke in. "Explained what?"  
  
Xavier turned back to her. "I was hoping that you would accompany Jean and I this time. There are areas of his mind that it is.. difficult for me to access without forcing my way and in the process severely damaging his mind. And I am hoping that his trust for you will allow us easier contact." Xavier felt her reluctance clearly. "It won't hurt him Kitty, and it's not a breach of trust either. We are trying to help him."  
  
Kitty was lost in thought for a few minutes. She finally looked the Professor in the eye and said. "Ok Professor, let's like do it."  
  
Xavier smiled and nodded to Jean. "If you would Jean?" She nodded and gestured. The chairs levitated and arranged themselves in a semicircle next to the desk. Mark had nearly leapt out of his chair when it started to move and only Kitty's sudden grasp on his hand kept him seated.  
  
Xavier rolled around the desk and completed the circle. Jean reached out and placed a hand on both Kitty's and Mark's forehead. She closed her eyes and all three of the teens shuddered and froze.  
  
Xavier was about to reach out for Jean's mind when Logan's voice drifted to him. "You better get it right this time Chuck. The kid's been through enough. And I don't like all this messing around in his head."  
  
Xavier nodded then reached out and connected with Jean.  
  
In the Mindscape  
  
Xavier felt the world shift as he penetrated Mark's consciousness and willed the essence of his mind into a landscape. He heard Kitty gasp next to him. He turned and she was staring at him with wide eyes.  
  
Kitty stuttered for a second before getting her mouth to work. "You're like totally walking Professor."  
  
Xavier glanced down and smiled. "It's much easier to move around like this rather than using the wheelchair. And since absolutely nothing you see is real in the sense you are thinking of, I will it to be this way."  
  
Kitty just gaped. "That is totally cool Professor. Can we like do anything at all here?"  
  
Xavier laid a hand on her shoulder. "Technically yes Kitty, but remember, this isn't a video game, this is Mark's mind. I do this for the sake of brevity, not because I want to be able to walk."  
  
Kitty slowly nodded. Chagrined by the Professors reminder. "So what do you like want me to do?"  
  
Xavier responded. "Actually Kitty, you don't have to do anything. I'm going to be filtering what I'm doing through your mind. Hopefully, Mark will sense that it is you and allow the implanting to fully take this time." Glancing down at her obviously worried look, he gently squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry Kitty, you will not even notice what I'm doing."  
  
Xavier turned and closed his eyes. The world seemed to melt and start flowing around them. Kitty fought to make some sort of sense of the fragments of images that flashed past them. She vaguely noticed the images starting to flow into a semblance of order and become visible when she caught a glimpse of what she swore was herself. She saw the image start to streak by her and she reflexively reached out to grab it. Just before her hand came into contact with it, she heard the Professor's desperate bellow. "KITTY! DON'T TOUCH..." Before she could stop herself, she closed her fingers on the fragment of the image and the world exploded in a cacophony of light and sound. She jerked and shuddered like she was holding onto a live electrical wire and she felt a pressure start to press against the inside of her skull. She saw the Professor reach out for her just before the pressure blinded her and she screamed away the last of her consciousness.  
  
Xavier's office  
  
Xavier's eyes flew open and he felt hands lifting him up from the floor. He rolled his head to the side and saw Logan standing over him, trying to put him back in his chair. He saw Logan's lips move, but couldn't hear any sound. Shaking his head and concentrating, he pulled the shattered fragments of his mind back together. Logan's voice suddenly broke in. ".you hear me? What's going on Chuck?"  
  
Xavier put a hand to his temple, trying to soothe the pounding headache behind his eyes. "Yes, just a moment Logan, we took quite a shock. I just need a moment to recover." He glanced around and whatever relief he had gained from the throbbing in his head vanished when he saw Kitty lying on the floor twitching and Mark wrapped around her body, unconsciously trying to soothe her distress. His eyes then fell on Jean, who was rubbing her own temples in pain.  
  
She cracked open her eyes and croaked. "What happened Professor? One second everything was going well, then suddenly I felt someone else in the linkup. Then everything just exploded. I tried to hold it together, but it just hurt too much."  
  
Xavier was silent for a moment. "It's alright Jean, you did the best anyone could have expected. What happened was unfortunately not something either of us could have prevented."  
  
Jean asked. "What exactly 'did' happen Professor?"  
  
Xavier sighed and leaned back. "Kitty saw herself and reached out. It is my fault I suppose. I didn't factor her natural curiosity into my plan. When she came into contact with that image of herself, she forced her own conscious mind into the linkup, destroying it."  
  
Jean turned and stared at the two intertwined teens for a moment before looking back at the Professor. "Is she going to be ok?"  
  
Xavier sighed. "I believe so, Mark's mind didn't attempt to force her out, it just became too much for her to." his voice trailed off as he looked at the teens, a pained look crossing his face.  
  
Jean glanced between them. "What's wrong Professor?"  
  
Xavier grimaced. "Reach out to them Jean, but do it gently."  
  
Jean closed her eyes and slowly focused her mind onto the two teens. Feeling an aberration, she moved closer and took a better look at their consciousness'. She violently pulled her own mind back to her body and turned to the Professor, an incredulous look on her face. "That's impossible Professor, neither of them are telepaths!"  
  
Xavier frowned. "I don't know how Jean, but it is true." He turned and looked at both Jean and Logan. "They have a psibond." 


	11. Chapter 11

Feral Bonds Chapter 11  
  
The reviewer known as Me: Damn it, I really gotta stop just typing these up, giving them a five second look-over and posting them. Fixed that little slice of stupidity and reuploaded. Thanks (. From what I remember, a psibond is a permanent telepathic connection between two people.  
  
Morgannia: Thanks. That scene with Mark and Logan was just begging to be included.  
  
Dorms, Xavier's Institute for the Gifted  
  
Logan stomped down the hallway, sending the odd student that stared at the two teens he was carrying a smoldering glare. Reaching the end of the hallway, he kicked a door open and was greeted by a shocked Rogue as the door slammed into the drywall. He marched over to Kitty's bed and with surprising gentleness, laid the two intertwined teens down. Reaching across the bed, he grabbed a pink fleece comforter and gave it a small grimace before tossing it across Mark and Kitty. Sparing one last glance at the two, he turned and fixed Rogue with his 'don't even think of not doing what I'm about to tell you to' look and pointed to the hall.  
  
Knowing that arguing or complaining would get her absolutely nowhere, she sighed, closed her book, and walked into the hall. She leaned against the wall and waited for Logan to finish his whole 'growly' phase and tell her what the hell Kitty was doing unconscious with the guy they picked up wrapped around her like a second skin.  
  
Logan stepped out of the room and pulled the door firmly closed. Scowling, he turned to Rogue. "Listen Stripes, that room is off-limits tonight. Chuck had some sort of problem and they got hit with it." Rogue's face turned compassionate for a moment before sliding back into her normal 'I don't give a damn' scowl. "So ah get kicked outta mah room. Typical."  
  
Logan glared at her for a moment before leaning back along the paneling. He pulled a cigar stub out of his shirt pocket and bit down. "Yea, life just sucks for everyone."  
  
Rogue crossed her arms and scowled at him. "Just happens to suck for me more."  
  
Logan barked and a corner of his mouth twitched up. He pushed off the wall. "Storm's setting up another room for the night for ya, but it's gonna be a bit." He stood for a moment, looking as if he was considering something. Finally, he pulled the cigar out of his mouth. "Come on Stripes, I'm going to Harry's. By the time we get back, everything should be all ready for ya."  
  
She blinked and narrowed her eyes at him, he never invited anyone to go anywhere. Deciding that he really wasn't screwing with her head, she nodded. "Sure, I'll get mah jacket."  
  
Xavier's office  
  
Xavier stared off into the sky, lost in thought. Not even Jean's continuous rambling broke into his pondering. Finally, he sighed and rolled back to his desk. He noticed that Jean had stopped ranting that it was impossible and that they had to be seeing something completely different. Folding his hands and staring at the redhead, he spoke. "Jean, I understand your reluctance to admit that what you sensed was true, but I assure you. The psibond is quite real."  
  
Jean looked at the Professor like he had grown another head. "But Professor! To forge a psibond, you need two telepaths of moderate ability or one phenomenally powerful one. Neither of them has any telepathic ability beyond the baseline inherent in everyone. It just isn't possible. We have to be seeing something different, a new mutation maybe."  
  
Xavier held up a hand to call for silence. "I understand Jean. And I looked for anything out of the ordinary. I can't sense anything the slightest out of true with what we know of psibonds. Perhaps it was me filtering the imprinting through her mind that gave the needed power to produce the bond. In all honesty, we might never know what was the trigger for it to form, and to be perfectly honest with you, it's irrelevant to the problem at hand. Which brings me to my next point. I think we will be seeing some rather rapid changes in both Kitty and Mark during the next few days. I need you to keep your eye of them, especially Kitty. I'll be sending her back to school on Wednesday."  
  
Jean nodded. "I'll let Scott know. If we all help, we can cover the entire time she is outside the mansion."  
  
Xavier folded his hands. "Very good. I'll leave the details to you and Scott then. Just be diligent, Kitty is bound to experience some...unpleasant side-effects." He Turned and rolled to the computer terminal as Jean let herself out.  
  
Kitty and Rogue's room  
  
The first thought that filtered through Kitty's still sleep-muddled brain was that while yes, she was in her room, there was something. off about it, something besides the thundering migraine that had taken up shop behind her eyes. Frowning, she peeked her head out from under the comforter. She blinked slowly as the alarm clock wavered into focus. -Ugh, it's only five am.- She glanced down. -And why the hell am I using this comforter, it's spring.- She kicked her legs a few times and the offending cloth fell to the floor. She sighed, it was still way too hot. She rolled over to open the window and came nose to nose with a sleeping Mark. She froze and starting praying that it was just a bad dream, a surrealistic nightmare caused by eating cold pizza before bed. She willed her eyes to close and she tightly squeezed them. -It's not real, it's not real, it's not real- She opened her eyes again and, lo and behold, he was still breathing deeply right next to her, in her bed.  
  
One word slipped out of her gaping mouth, "Shit."  
  
Kitty could hear her heart pounding faster. She raised her head and checked to see if Rogue was there. Of course, the one time she really needed her, she vanishes. She swore that Mark could probably hear her pounding heart even without his acute hearing. Mark seemed to verify her suspicions when his breathing quickened and he started twitching. She started to concentrate to phase when Mark's arm shot out, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her into his side, shattering her concentration and a small "meep" squeaked out of her. His leg threw itself over her knee and trapped her next to him. Kitty's heart had stopped and her blood had turned to ice. She started to gather her wits when her entire body started gently vibrating. She took a deep breath and just lay there for a moment, deciding that the buzz was actually pretty nice, and his arm wasn't so heavy, and her train of thought derailed. She quickly phased through the bed and rolled to her feet by her dresser. She just stared at him for a moment and she couldn't decide weather to be angry or not that he had grabbed her.  
  
A thought hit her and she glanced down and noticed that she was still wearing the same clothes as she had woken up with yesterday. She grabbed a set of clothes and fled out the door, heading for a quick shower than a trip to the Professor.  
  
Girl's communal bathroom  
  
Kitty fiddled with the shower knobs, trying to get the temperature to a decent scalding hot. Finally getting the shower to her taste, she peeled off the two day old sweat encrusted tights and dropped them in the trashcan. Stepping under the water, she let out a slow, content sigh. -Finally a little peace.- She just let the water sluice over her, washing away the migraine and the tension that had built up over the past few days. Reaching blindly behind her, she grabbed her bottle of bodywash and snapped open the lid. And immediately tossed the bottle across the bathroom as the putrid stench wafted out of the bottle. She snorted and coughed, trying vainly to get the smell out of her nose. Finally catching her breath, she realized that Jubilee and Bobby were probably playing an extremely ill- timed prank, and she vowed revenge. Preferably immediate and extremely painful revenge.  
  
Kitty threw back the shower curtain and did a five-second dry before pulling on the clean clothes she had brought. She was pulling the long sleeve shirt over her head when she smelled the fabric. Sure enough, the soon to be dead pranksters had also screwed with her clothes. The shirt had been doused in what had to be liquid potpourri. She considered putting her suit back on, but she could smell it from where she was standing. Growling in frustration, she kicked her suit into the corner and picked the bottle of bodywash up with two fingers and held it at arms length. Turning around, she phased through the bathroom door.  
  
Hallway  
  
Scott yawned and shuffled to the girl's linen closet, searching for a clean towel and cursing Sam for not doing the laundry like he was supposed to. He pulled a fluffy pink towel off the shelf and stared at it for a second, trying to decide if he really gave a crap what color it was. He grunted once and threw the towel over his shoulder, deciding that a hot shower was worth the loss of male pride. He stuck his toothbrush back in his mouth and had just closed the door when Kitty came stomping past carrying a bottle at arms length and had a pissed look on her face. She absolutely ignored him as she passed. Scott's mind chugged slowly, trying to figure out what was wrong with her before he grunted once more and decided that he really didn't care, he needed a shower. He turned to leave when he caught motion out of the corner of his eye and he froze.  
  
Mark was stepping out of Kitty's room. It was 5:30 in the morning. Scott's body decided that this was worthy of waking up and gave him an adrenaline- fueled kick in the pants. Scott tore the toothbrush out of his mouth and started quickly walking over to Mark. Mark glanced down the hallway before sniffing and heading towards the bathroom. Scott took a quick glance in Kitty and Rogue's room and he saw that only Kitty's bed was unmade and there sure as hell wasn't a sleeping bag. Quickening his pace, he had almost reached the bathroom when Mark stepped out. Looking closer, he noticed that Mark was carrying Kitty's x-man uniform. He was about to question him about it when Mark shot a pointed look at the towel on his shoulder and quirked an eyebrow. Scott followed his look and blinked. "It's the only one I could find, Sam didn't..why am I even talking about it?" Scott yanked hard on the towel in frustration. "Listen, what the hell are you doing in Kitty's room? For that matter, what the hell are you doing out of the basement? Damn it, you can't even understand what I'm.." and shrill scream tore through the hallway.  
  
Before Scott had the time to turn his head, he felt what had to be a train slam into his chest and went flying backwards into the wall. His vision wavered for an instant and he blinked to clear it. Hearing rapid slams to his left, tore the towel off his head and turned to see Mark sprinting towards the scream.  
  
Mark's feet pounded the wood floor as he ran, small spurts of dust puffed from between the oak strips. He sniffed the air quickly as he hit an intersection. Without missing a beat, he jumped and slammed feet-first into the wall as he took the corner to the New Mutant's dorm hall. He shifted his weight and fell back to the floor without slowing in the slightest. Hearing the small echoes of the scream, he zeroed in on a door and jumped, sending his four hundred pound body slamming into the heavy wooden door at full speed. The door disintegrated into a cloud of splinters and he landed on his feet, claws extended. Kitty's suit still clutched in a hand. He came face to face with a gaping Kitty loosely holding a bottle and a Jubilee dripping bodywash from her face.  
  
Mark stared at them both.  
  
They stared back.  
  
Mark kept staring.  
  
Kitty kept staring right on back.  
  
Unfortunately, Jubilee had regained control over her voice and let loose an air-raid level shriek.  
  
Mark and Kitty were both driven from the room clutching their ears. Kitty shook her head and saw an underwear clad Scott sprinting down the hall. He slid to a stop and grabbed his glasses. Looking warily at Mark, he spoke to Kitty. "What happened? Is there an attack?"  
  
Kitty popped her ears and shook her head, seeing the other residents of the mansion come barreling towards them. "No Scott. I was just getting Jubilee back for putting a bunch of smelly junk in my bodywash." She held out the bottle for emphasis.  
  
Scott pointedly looked at the hole in the wall that used to be a door. "And that?"  
  
Kitty opened her mouth to respond when Mark suddenly broke in. "I heard the scream, I ran. The door was in the way, I hit it and it wasn't in the way anymore."  
  
Scott and Kitty both just looked at Mark with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.  
  
Logan and Ororo both came hurrying down the hall. They both came to a stop and quickly took in the scene.  
  
Ororo was the first to speak. "Scott, Kitty, what is going on here?" Kitty turned her head to her, stared for a second, then turned back to Mark.  
  
Scott did a double-take and turned fully to her. "Um. Kitty was in Jubilee's room and someone screamed. Then Mark here broke the door down, then Jubilee screamed again."  
  
Ororo waited for him to elaborate and when he didn't, she turned to Kitty. "Kitty, what were you doing in Jubilee's room this early in the morning?"  
  
Kitty opened and closed her mouth before looking at the bottle in her hand like it was salvation itself. "I was totally taking a shower and grabbed my wash.." she held the bottle out. "..and was about to like use it when I got a smell of it. I knew Jubilee had done something so I like went into her room and poured it on her so she could totally deal with the stench."  
  
Ororo took the bottle out of Kitty's hand and waved it slightly under her nose. Her face slipped into a disapproving frown. "Kitty, there is nothing wrong with this."  
  
Kitty blinked. "I can totally smell it from here Ms. Munroe, and it doesn't smell like a garbage dump normally."  
  
Logan sniffed the air. "It smells like it's normal stench Half-Pint."  
  
Mark reached out and grabbed the bottle from Ororo. He sniffed it once. "This is what woke me up."  
  
Logan and Ororo gave Mark an appraising look before Logan's brow dropped in thought. A few seconds later, he pulled the stub of his cigar out and covertly ground a little ash into his left palm. Closing his hands and holding them out to Kitty, he asked. "Which hand am I holding the cigar in Half-Pint."  
  
Kitty just looked at him like he had finally lost his marbles. When she didn't answer, Logan lowered his voice and bit out, "Which one?"  
  
Kitty jumped at the tone. "Like how am I supposed to know Mr. Logan?"  
  
Logan looked her straight in the eye. "Just tell me which one smells like a cigar."  
  
Kitty blinked and shifted her gaze to his hands. She looked between the two fists for a moment before taking an exaggerated sniff. Her eyes widened and she pointed to his left hand. "That one."  
  
Logan wiped his hands off on his jeans and stuck them in his pocket before giving Kitty an appraising stare. Before Ororo could speak, Logan nodded to himself and spoke. "Pryde, I could barely smell it. And it was in my hand."  
  
Everyone but Mark gaped. Ororo took a deep breath and motioned to the onlookers. "Return to your rooms children, this is finished and there is no danger." The students quickly filed back into their rooms. Ororo waited until the last door was closed before turning back to the group. "We need to speak to the Professor. It appears as though the side-effects he spoke of last night have manifested." 


	12. Chapter 12

Feral Bonds Chapter 12  
  
The reviewer known as Me: No worries. I don't mind mistakes being brought to my attention. Hell, considering the fact that a) I've never written before and b) I've gone so far past my outline it's not funny and I've been writing off the top of my head for the past four chapters I'm amazed that I don't post gobblygook on a regular basis. Oh yea, on the time issue, I meant for it to be an incredibly short amount of actual time. And another thing, when Professor Xavier turns, he *TURNS*. Don't forget it. ;) Heck, if you want, you can always beta them for me. :)  
  
Inuyasha0001: Thanks again  
  
I don't Review: Thanks for the praise.  
  
Xavier's office  
  
Xavier silently watched the group file into his office. A quick mental scan told him all he needed to know of the incident. He frowned when he came to Kitty smelling the cigar, the meaning readily apparent to him. Storm was the last to sit down and he took that as the opening to speak. "It appears as though we have had an interesting night." Kitty started nervously tapping a foot against the chair leg. "After reviewing the incident, I can tell you with all confidence that neither Jubilee or Bobby played any sort of prank on you, no matter how much it is in their character to do so."  
  
Kitty shifted in her seat and spoke. "Like why did my wash smell so bad? And this shirt." she picked at the blue t-shirt. "..it smells like someone soaked it in air freshener."  
  
Logan snorted and quietly mumbled. "You always smell like a walking air freshener kid."  
  
Kitty snapped her head sideways. "It's like totally not funny Mr. Logan, I can barely think it's so strong."  
  
Xavier saw Logan give a small start when Kitty turned and spoke. He could almost feel the mild surprise he was projecting. "Kitty, we did not have a chance to explain what occurred last night during the process." Kitty blinked and turned back to him. "And I must say that I am surprised that you didn't immediately come to me when you awoke. I assumed that you would be full of questions, most teenagers don't act as an intermediary in a mindscape."  
  
Kitty was silent for a moment as she thought about it. "I don't like know Professor. I just didn't think about it is like all." She frowned. "I should have through right? I remember grabbing something and a flash of light, but it never really like occurred to me to worry about it."  
  
Xavier and Ororo both glanced quickly at Mark. Xavier continued. "Well Kitty, it was quite a bit more complicated than that, but that is not the relevant issue that I wanted to speak to you about." He rolled out from behind his desk and stopped in front of her chair. "Neither Jean nor I know how it happened, but it seems that you have somehow forged what telepaths call a psibond with Mark when you disrupted the process."  
  
Kitty's face scrunched up in thought. "Like, what is a psibond Professor, I've never heard of it."  
  
Xavier leaned back in his chair and folded his hands under his nose. "Explaining exactly what it is, to a non-telepath, is unfortunately impossible. There are no words for the interfaces that are created. But the most basic way to describe it is a.." not wanting to subject her to the fact that it might be permanent, he changed his phraseology. ".persistent mental connection between two people."  
  
Kitty blinked and felt an uncharacteristic anger well up in her, speeding her heartbeat and flushing her face. "So he's gonna like be in my head? That is SO not cool Professor. How do we like break it?" She was about to start growling when Mark laid a hand on her arm, drawing her attention. She turned and looked at the inquisitive look on his face and felt a wave of calm flood through her. She nodded and sank back into her chair.  
  
Xavier filed that response away, gratified that it proved his theory. "Kitty, it looks as though you've gained access to his sense of smell at the very least." Kitty went wide-eyed and Xavier grinned. "It's true Kitty. The bodywash and your shirt both smell normal to me and Storm, and what you are smelling is what Logan and Mark normally smell. And yes, that means that you owe Jubilee an apology."  
  
Kitty blinked and looked chagrined. She muttered "Yes Professor."  
  
Xavier leaned back. "It does appear that we at least accomplished our objective though. How are you feeling Mark?"  
  
Mark looked blankly at the Professor. "Well."  
  
Xavier smiled. "I see. And why exactly did you break down Jubilee's door?"  
  
Mark looked at Kitty. "I heard a scream from where she went."  
  
Logan snorted. "So ya decided to scare the shit out of Jubilee and half the kids eh?"  
  
Mark turned to him and spoke with a flat voice. "Yes."  
  
Logan burst out laughing. Turning to Xavier, "He's not half bad Chuck." and chuckled again.  
  
Kitty broke in. "Professor, so why is he talking so well now?"  
  
Xavier rolled his eyes at Logan and turned back to Kitty. "He is subconsciously pulling your knowledge to himself. To put it in a way you will better understand, his Operating System is running off your Hard Drive."  
  
Kitty spun to Mark and smacked his arm. "Stop it dammit! It's MY head."  
  
Mark narrowed his eyes questioningly and rubbed his shoulder once. Both of their attentions were pulled back when Xavier and Ororo tried to stifle their chuckles without success.  
  
Xavier willed his face back to passivity and spoke to her. "Kitty, it's not something he can control. As a matter of fact, you are the very reason the bond exists, so don't take your frustration out on him. Besides, it's all subconscious anyway, he can't read your mind any more than you can read his. At most, you can project emotions across the link."  
  
Kitty crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, I don't have to like it though."  
  
Xavier was about to continue when a wave of fatigue disoriented him. He fell forward in his chair and pressed his hand to his forehead. Ororo leapt out of her chair and quickly crossed the distance to him and set a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Charles, are you alright?"  
  
Xavier shook his head and straightened. Quickly glancing around, he rolled to the terminal on his desk before he spoke. "I felt a wave of animosity for a split second before it cut out. Not only was the feeling coming from very close by." He looked in Logan's eyes. ".I can no longer use my telepathy, something is blocking it."  
  
Logan sprang to his feet and sprinted to the window. Tearing the latch off, he slammed the windowpane open. Mark's head whipped towards the window and Kitty felt a brush of suspicion from him.  
  
Logan turned back to the desk, a dark look on his face. His eyes speared Xavier's and he spoke. "Choppers, heading this way fast. And they ain't news choppers."  
  
Xavier quickly typed in a command and a klaxon started blaring and red emergency lights strobing throughout the mansion. Not a second later, Scott and Jean burst into the room.  
  
Jean looked to the Professor. "I was on my way to tell you my telepathy is being blocked when we heard the alarms."  
  
Scott reached into an alcove and grabbed a spare visor. Settling it on his face, he turned back to the others and straightened. "What exactly is the situation Professor?"  
  
Xavier turned the screen towards him. Scott leaned forward and read the security system status report. Skimming over it quickly he turned back. "There are four helicopters inbound from the eastern quadrant. They appear to be trying to fly below radar, but Logan and Forge's enhancements have acquired them. I believe we can assume they are hostile." He turned to Storm. "Storm, get on the intercom and get the students into the basement. It's the safest place right now. And have the team suit up and report here." She nodded and started relaying commands over the intercom.  
  
Scott turned back to the Professor. "You also need to get to the basement Professor. With them jamming your powers, you are defenseless up here. I would advise we activate the security to Omicron level and prepare for an assault, probably armed."  
  
Logan slammed the window shut and jogged to the desk. "There ain't not probable about it One-Eye. I heard three Chinook transports and an Apache gunship. They aren't just armed, they're military. So shut this place down. We've got about ninety seconds before all hell breaks loose."  
  
Xavier quickly typed on the keyboard and the mansion shuddered as the armor plates slammed down over the windows and doors. Scott grabbed Xavier's wheelchair and started pushing it to the door. "I'm going to get the Professor in the elevator, get ready."  
  
Mark grabbed Kitty's arm and yanked her to her feet. Taking a quick glance around, he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up before sprinting out of the office. Kitty grunted with the force of the grab and twisted around to tell him to let go of her but her demand was lost when the window at the end of the hall exploded in a burst of flame. She ducked her head under his shoulder and felt him grunt once and immediately felt a warm fluid spread under her shoulder. She yanked her head away and almost phased when she saw the jagged shard of metal that Mark had just yanked out of his back.  
  
She shut the image out of her mind and she yelled. "The kids! The haven't had enough time to get downstairs! We have to help them!"  
  
Mark didn't even glance her way but just kept running. She was about to start yelling again when he jumped up, slamming feet first into a painting and cracking the plaster behind it. He kept running on the wall for a few steps before dropping back down and sprinting down a hallway. Kitty realized that he had been running towards the New Mutant's hall already.  
  
He turned another corner and slammed into Jamie, sending his copies sprawling down the corridor in a living chain. Staggering for one whole step, Mark planted his feet and jumped over the heads of the other students in the hallway. At the instant he landed, he dropped Kitty back to the ground and snapped his claws out.  
  
He growled and started pushing students behind him when the wall exploded inwards and a soldier came flying through. The students still in the hallway screamed and the soldier's weapon spun to them. Kitty's blood froze when the rifle was lifted to his shoulder and his finger started to pull the trigger.  
  
Mark let out a deafening roar and hurled himself claws first at the soldier. His shoulder erupted in a haze of blood and pulverized tissue as the soldier's MP5 sprang to life. Kitty felt a tsunami of rage wash over her. Mark dropped to the floor and rolled under the weapons firing arc. Spinning at the last second, his claws flashed out and ripped the soldier's left leg off at the knee. The soldier screamed and fell, wildly grasping at the stump, trying vainly to cut off the spurting artery. Mark rolled to his knees and pivoted back to the soldier. Another flash of claws and the muscles and tendons in both the soldiers arms were severed, leaving him to uselessly scream and thrash his life away.  
  
Kitty had to choke back the bile that flooded her throat and had barely succeeded when she heard two more explosions from in front of her and clouds of smoke and dust billowed out from two rooms. Mark whipped around and started running back to her when the muzzle of a machine gun poked out of a room and fired at her. She yelped and phased just as the bullets tore through where she was standing. She heard a high pitched scream behind her and she turned to look at the source. The air in her lungs turned to lead when she saw Valerie, a seven year old mutant, writhing on the ground with a bullet hole in her stomach, screaming at the top of her lungs.  
  
A red haze misted over her vision and her heart thundered in her chest. She turned and growled at the soldier emerging from the room. A snarl tore itself from her throat and she launched herself at him. The soldier smirked and pulled the trigger again, the smirk turning to shock as the bullets just passed through her without damage. Kitty roared and leapt straight at him. As she started to pass through him, she reached out and 'twisted' her power. Her hand partially fell out of phase and during the split instant she was in his body, reached out and grabbed a hold of his heart. Pushing her power in a direction she hadn't ever done before, she dug her fingers into the pulsing muscle and 'pulled.' She flew out of the back of the soldier and rolled to a stop. She flipped to her feet and dropped the still beating heart onto the ground. The soldier jerked and coughed..once.. before turning to her with a look of disbelief on his face before pitching forward and slamming into the floor, dead as stone. Kitty snarled again and phased back out of the room, in search of the next enemy.  
  
Mark passed the screaming child and ripped his claws into the plaster next to a door a split second before his body crashed through it in a hail of splinters. He dropped to the ground and slid the moment he entered the room, narrowly missing the hail of bullets the soldiers fired at him. He reached out and hooked his foot around the leg of the Victorian bed, using it as a block to stop his momentum. Instantly snapping his claws out in an arc, he tore the side off the dresser and whipped around, hurling it at the nearest soldier like a discus. The spinning wood slammed into the soldier's legs, the sound of his femurs splintering audible even over the scream that clawed it's way out of the soldier. Mark completed his spin and started to leap over the bed at the next soldier when he felt a three-round burst stitch itself across his stomach and hurl him back into the wall. He crashed into the wood and plaster wall and slid down, unmoving.  
  
The soldier stepped around the bed, holding his weapon on Mark's still form. Not taking any chances, the soldier sent another burst into his stomach. Seeing the body jerk, he confidently stepped forward. Nudging the corpse with his foot, he grabbed his radio and spoke. "Tango Down, primary target. Proceeding to secondary target." The soldier turned and sneered at the body. "Ain't so tough are ya you fucking freak" And spit in Mark's face. Seeing no reaction, the soldier snorted and turned to the soldier that was climbing in the hole in the outer wall of the mansion. He made a series of hand signals and his companion nodded. They both started to move to the door when Mark's eyes snapped open and he launched himself off the floor. Crossing the few feet separating him from the soldier that spoke, he lashed out with his claws, feeling them dig into the man's neck and briefly snag on the spinal column before ripping out of the other side and digging into the wall. The man's head went spiraling off into the hall and the other soldier was blinded by the gout of blood that spattered across his face. He franticly wiped the blood out his eyes and started firing randomly around the room. He cleared his vision and whipped around towards the hall.  
  
Mark slid out from under the bed and sprang at the soldier. He roared and ripped his claws across the soldier's abdomen, tearing through skin and muscle and spilling his intestines onto the floor. The soldier gasped and fell to his knees, desperately trying to force the steaming ropes back into his stomach. He looked up at Mark with a look of abject horror. Mark stared back for a second before reaching out and slamming his claws into the soldier's back, severing the spinal cord. Mark crouched next to the body and threw a look out onto the roof where a Chinook was hovering just off the side. Mark flipped the body over and tore the satchel charge off the harness.  
  
Hallway  
  
Kitty passed through the wall, still snarling and her hand dripping blood. Her vision was still misted over and she had to dig her fingers into her palms to control the rage coursing through her. She focused and succeeded in beating down the rage. Feeling more in control, she once again heard Valerie still screaming and crying. Kitty instantly ran to her and scooped her up into her arms. Turning and shouting at the remaining students to get to the basement, she cooed soothingly to the crying child and phased through the floor, praying that she could get to Hank before the child died.  
  
Rooftop  
  
Leaping out the hole, Mark sprinted across the roof. As he reached the Chinook, he pulled the detcord and was about to toss it when he ran into a disembarking soldier. Reaching his claws out, he ripped the man's throat out. Slamming the satchel into the man's arms, he grabbed him and threw him into the chopper like a rag doll, surprising the platoon inside. Mark hesitated for an instant to make sure the body had made it into the chopper before throwing himself down to the roof. A millisecond later, the helicopter erupted in a thirty-foot fireball.  
  
Mark felt the flames wash across his back, tearing at his clothes and melting his shirt into his skin. He let out a roar of pain and pressed himself further into the roof. When the firestorm passed, he ripped the melted shirt off his already healing back and tossed it to the side. Scanning the rest of the rooftop, he saw the gunship hovering off the entrance of the mansion and starting to pull back. He roared and ran. He reached the edge of the roof and planning a foot into a stone gargoyle, he launched himself of the roof and into the air. Flying freely for a moment, his eyes met the startled pilot's for a moment before he slammed into the windshield of the cockpit, sending spider like cracks across it's surface.  
  
The pilot scrabbled for his sidearm and was pulling it out of the holster when Mark slammed his claws through the glass and punched them into his heart. The pilot jerked and looked at him. Mark stared into his eyes until the life drained out of them. Mark's body jerked as the gunner's sidearm suddenly fired and a round slammed into his chest. He reached out and grabbed the metal frame of the cockpit to steady himself. The chopper started to wildly whip around and the gunner dropped his sidearm and grabbed the controls, franticly trying to steady the craft. Mark growled and looked up at the rotors. He blinked once before thrusting his left claws into the path of the spinning blades. His arm was nearly wrenched from it's socket as the first blade rammed into the claws. The blades tore off and spun into the night, severed cleanly. The chopper immediately started to fall and Mark threw himself off the doomed machine. He hit the ground hard and started to roll to the side when the chopper slammed into the ground next to him and his world winked out in a burst of flame. 


	13. Author's Note Sorry

Inuyasha001: Thanks again  
  
I Don't Review: Thanks, it would be cool to get this published, but it will never happen. It's defiantly a happy thought though.  
  
Dan: Thanks. About the whole rating thing, I was kind of iffy myself when I started on this story about weather I should make it an R or not. I even put the question out to everyone. No one seemed particularly interested in changing the rating, so I didn't even bother. Now the further I get into this story, I have come to a purely personal conclusion, this is a PG-13, at least to me. Yes there is violence, but I tried to keep it in short intense bursts and not go overboard with describing it. I tried to put just enough description into it that people could evoke the same mental image I had when I conceived the scene.  
  
The Son of Logan and Ororo: Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it. And while I would like to take full credit for the invasion, yes I did pull inspiration from the movie. Oh well, I can't always be original.  
  
The reviewer known as Me: I admit, there was more.I guess you would call it graphic violence in the last chapter, and it did start suddenly. This was my intention from the beginning. I wanted to kinda the story a little, which is why I started the attack in the middle of the chapter. I wanted to convey a feeling of events spinning out of control in an instant and I hope that feeling crossed over to you readers. Oh, on the 'roar' thing, I was thinking the same thing when I was writing it, but no one I asked could come up with another word that accurately conveyed the feeling I was trying to evoke. I see 'howl' as something one does while standing still or before an action, and 'roar' as something that can be done during an action. And to the whole telepathy-blocking, there is a hint in chapter 1. By the way, what the heck does 'angus' mean?  
  
IMPORTANT QUESTION:  
  
Due to a few incredibly angry e-mails I have received, I'd like to put the question out to you guys. Should I;  
  
Rewrite chapters 1, 4, 5, and 12 so they are candy-coated balls of fluff.  
  
Change the rating to an R and cast this fic into the dark halls of obscurity.  
  
Just keep going to way I've been going.  
  
Or as one angry e-mailer said "Get this piece of crap off the net."  
  
Send me an e-mail or a review letting me know your opinion. I'll hold off posting the next chapter until I get enough responses to make a firm decision. On a side note.  
  
To those who decided to scream bloody murder in my inbox about this fic and me personally without suggesting something to fix it, get a Prozac, a Valium, or heck, I think a shot of Thorazine would do ya good. Constructive criticism I welcome, it only helps me get better. Unreasoning and hate- filled drivel I can do without. 


	14. Chapter 13

Feral Bonds Chapter 13  
  
Wow, according to one particular e-mail, I'm "grossly offensive." And here I thought I was a nice guy. Go figure. :P  
  
Big thanks to those that responded. Besides the one e-mail I mentioned above, everyone that reviewed or sent me an e-mail is in support of keeping the fic the way it is, thanks. :)  
  
Btw, violence alert.  
  
Scott stuck his head out around the corner and sent an optic blast down the hall at the advancing soldiers. He yanked his head back a split second before bullets slammed into the wood paneling. He turned to Evan and Jean. They were both looking peaked. Jean had been breathing heavy and her face was slightly pale. Evan had been throwing fewer and thinner spikes the past couple of minutes, signaling that he was almost done for. His face set in a stony mask, he once again popped around the corner and tried to disarm a soldier or two. As he started ducking back, he heard a dull thump and a grating sound like something rolling.  
  
Jean saw the grenade tumble into the alcove they were using for cover. Not having time to do anything else, and not wanting to just send it back at the soldiers, she reached out with her power and squeezed. The grenade froze in midtumble and was still for a moment before it jerked and disintegrated. She released the chunks of metal and ash and slumped against the wall. Reaching up, she wiped away the trickle of blood that was leaking out of her nose.  
  
Scott glanced back at Jean and Evan, not missing Jean's cleanup. He fired a few random blasts while he thought. Finally coming to a decision, he spoke. "Jean, Evan, I'm going to give them one more blast. We are pinned down here. Jean, if you can, throw a shield up behind us as we fall back. Evan, if you have enough left, try to barricade the hallway behind us to slow them down a bit." They both nodded accepting his orders.  
  
Scott dropped back into thought for a moment before raising his hand to grab the front of his visor. Jean gasped and grabbed his wrist. "Scott, no. It would just be sinking down to their level."  
  
Scott didn't meet her imploring gaze. "Jean, they are trying to kill us. I'm not doing this out of spite, or anger. I'm trying to keep us alive."  
  
Jean quickly and violently shook her head. "No Scott, there has to be another way."  
  
Scott dropped his hand with a resigned sigh. "You are right Jean. We are X- men." He looked around for a second before firing another cover blast down the hall. "Ok. I'm going to try to collapse the hallway's ceiling. Evan, the second that it comes down, place some spikes to hold the rubble together." Evan nodded. Scott took a deep breath and mentally counted to 3. He belted out. "GO!"  
  
He leaned around the corner and sent a sustained blast down the hall, carefully avoiding hitting the advancing soldiers, he swept the beam around the ceiling and sent it crashing down in a heap.  
  
Evan ducked out next to Scott and flung his arms out, sending thin, almost anemic looking spikes out to form a barrier. They creaked and a few snapped, trying vainly to support the weight of the rubble. Evan started to sink to his knees when Scott and Jean each grabbed an arm and led him to the elevator down the hall.  
  
Basement  
  
The elevator opened and disgorged the three panting x-men into the hallway next to the Blackbird's hanger and the medlab. Scott saw the younger students huddling together and crying, trying in vain to find comfort in a night turned into a living nightmare. Glancing around, he saw the Professor rolling around the room, offering soothing words and affectionate pats. Scott helped Evan over to the group and gently laid him down, trying to be gentle so as to not break his now fragile bones. The Professor sent him a questioning look and Scott nodded his head, signaling that Evan was fine. The Professor nodded back with relief evident on his face and turned back to the younger students.  
  
Scott grabbed Jean's hand and led her to the medlab to get her checked out, she had obviously hurt herself and with the way events were unfolding, she would be needed again. Shouldering the door open, he saw Beast hunched over a table muttering to himself and glancing further, he saw Kitty laying facedown on the tile floor a few feet further away, her hand covered with crusting blood. He opened his mouth to speak but Beast preempted him without turning around. "Whoever it is, I'm busy. If you would be so kind, please put Ms. Pryde on a table. Any table will do."  
  
Scott sat Jean down in a chair and rushed over to Kitty. Scooping her up in his arms, he saw the unnatural paleness of her skin and the blood starting to congeal on her uniform. He sat her down on an examination table and noticed that her right eye had cracked open. Quickly determining that she was still out, he brushed back the eyelid and it appeared that every single blood vessel in the eye had burst, changing her normally doe-brown eyes into a sea of crimson. Scott closed the eye and a single drop of blood was squeezed out and rolled down her cheek like a bloody tear.  
  
He turned back to Beast, surprised that he had just left Kitty lying on the floor when he was just a few feet away. Stepping closer, he got an answer. Beast was hunched over a small blood-soaked body. Scott tasted bile in the back of his mouth. Taking a closer look, the blood left his face and he felt light. It was Valerie, a seven year old he and Storm had brought to the school a few weeks back. She was a minor telekinetic like Jean and her parents had been scared by her power's sudden emergence. The girl was friendly and outgoing and had quickly become everyone's little sister. And now she was lying on a metal table with a hole in her stomach and Beast franticly trying to save her life.  
  
Scott watched in silence for a few minutes as Hank's movements became faster and more jerky. Scott almost jumped when he threw a clamp across the room. He started doing compressions and spared Scott a glance. "CPR, do the breathing. On a five and one count." Scott nodded and started trying to breathe for the little girl and keep her alive. He timed his breaths to Hank's compressions. Little less than a minute later, Beast suddenly reared up and grabbed the instrument tray next to the table. He hurled it across the room, letting a howl of rage and frustration tear itself out of his lungs. Scott flinched back, well aware of Hank's strength, as well as his lack of control when he was angry. Beast slammed one giant fist into a desk and went still. The only sound in the room at that moment was Hank's heavy breathing. He turned suddenly and walked back to the table. He stood next to it for a moment before placing his hand tenderly over Valerie's face and gently lowering her eyelids to cover her now sightless eyes. Leaning close, he smoothed her hair down and whispered, "May angels guide your steps little one." before raising a sheet and covering her.  
  
Scott wearily staggered back to the wall and slid down it, Jean settling down next to him. He buried his face in his hands, and wept.  
  
Hallway  
  
Bobby and Jubilee both jerked to attention when the elevator pinged. They both stood and prepared to unleash their powers if it was someone they didn't know. They both started to sag with relief when they saw that it was Logan but that feeling was blown away like the morning mist when they saw the limp body of Amara in his arms.  
  
Logan stepped out of the elevator and strode past the two staring students, not sparing them so much as a glance. He quickly walked down the corridor, seeing the huddled students following him with their terrified eyes. Not even Xavier's concerned look broke the mask of stone he had erected.  
  
He strode up to the medlab door and slammed it open with his shoulder. The scent of blood and tears slammed into him like a veritable train. He swallowed and took a good glance around the room. He saw Hank pushing a cloth covered table into a corner and he instantly knew what that cloth was, it was a shroud. Gritting his teeth, he noticed Scott huddled on the floor and Jean sitting next to him, obviously trying to comfort him. He walked to the nearest table and sat Amara's body down. He adjusted her shattered arm and hoped that she didn't wake up anytime soon.  
  
That task finished, he turned to summon Hank and saw Kitty's body laying on another table. Reaching over, he quickly checked her for injuries and finding none, tossed a blanket over her. He called out. "Blue, what's wrong with Half-Pint?"  
  
Hank slowly turned and let his hand slide off the table. Looking at Logan with haunted eyes, he took a moment before he visibly gathered himself together and answered. "I don't know Logan. She brought Val.a student in with a severe wound and seemed to be fine until she suddenly shrieked and collapsed."  
  
Logan was silent for a moment. "I brought the princess in. She got caught by a fire team on the way to the elevator. She's busted up pretty bad. They broke her arm and shot her in both legs. I think they were retaliating for her burning one of them down." Hank closed his eyes and grimaced. "But I got there before they got the third bullet in. She passed out when I picked her up." Hank nodded and grabbed another surgical tray and moved over to Amara.  
  
Logan stood for a moment, finally taking in the size of the shroud. He closed his eyes and took a single slightly ragged breath. He held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. He turned and walked over to where Scott and Jean were sitting. He crouched down and caught Scott's attention. They locked gazes for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Logan spoke. "I'm gonna need your help One-Eye. There's still kids upstairs, and I haven't finished taking care of the soldiers."  
  
Jean let her gaze take in Logan's tattered and blood soaked clothes. She briefly wondered how he had gotten that way before sudden realization hit her. He 'took care of' the soldiers. Her hand tightened on Scott's arm. He looked at her quizzically for a second before comprehension dawned. "Logan, you can't be serious.."  
  
Logan cut him off with a gesture. "Listen 'kid', these people aren't here to sell us cookies." He pointed to the shroud-covered table in the corner. "That's why they are here. To kill. I heard some of their radio calls. That's all they are here for. They want to kill two of us real bad. I didn't hear any names, and apparently, one of em is already dead. And they sure don't look like they give a damn about side casualties."  
  
Scott tried to bolster his voice with all the conviction he had. "That doesn't make it right. There has to be a way to safeguard ourselves without bloodshed."  
  
Logan was silent for a moment. "Sorry kid, this isn't you running around in tights slapping the Brotherhood around. This is the real world. Sometimes we gotta do things we don't want to, or things we know we will regret, just to survive."  
  
Scott shook his head. "We are X-men Logan, we train to save lives, not take them."  
  
Logan's jaw clenched in anger. "Fine Summers. You can write out the letters notifying their families of their deaths and the fact that you didn't 'feel comfortable' doing what had to be done to protect their loved ones." He looked as though he was going to continue for a seconds before he shook his head and stood, walking stiffly towards the door.  
  
Scott looked on in confusion, he thought he had made his point clearly. "Where are you going Logan?"  
  
Logan turned and sneered. "I'm going to save us. Feel free to cower down here and wrap yourself up in platitudes or you can be a man and face your responsibilities."  
  
Scott was in shock from the utter disdain that Logan shot his way. "I'm not cowering, I'm trying to."  
  
Logan cut him off. "I hope that will keep you warm at night kid." He then stomped out of the room.  
  
Library  
  
PFC Granger stepped lightly across the threshold, eyes scanning the seemingly empty room. It may have seemed tranquil, but he knew better. He had seen one of those freaks duck in here not thirty seconds ago. He was pretty sure that it wasn't his target, but the Sarge had said that any extra body count would be.overlooked. And Granger was more than eager to rid the world of a couple of freaks.  
  
He thumbed the safety off on his MP5 and activated his night vision goggles. His world was wrapped in a green veil. Rechecking the corners, he advanced slowly. The muzzle of his weapon swept the area in front of him, ready to spew death at the slightest provocation. He heard the small creak of a floorboard and sneered. He was definitely gonna bag a mutant. Raising the weapon, he started silently shuffling towards the small couch, knowing that it was the only place to hide in the room. He reached the edge of the sofa and took a small steadying breath before snapping around the couch and firing a burst at..nothing. He blinked once in confusion. He was positive that this was the only place anyone could hide. His head snapped up and he scanned the room again, making sure he didn't miss anything.  
  
He sent a few random bursts into corners that even his NVG didn't seem to illuminate. The echo of the weapon quickly faded into silence. Granger slapped a fresh clip into place and decided to just toss a couple of grenades in there, that should trap the freak. He slowly stepped backwards, ears wide open and listening intently for the slightest sound. He finally reached the doorway and he grabbed a frag grenade from his harness. Letting his weapon fall to his side, he reached out to pull the pin and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He quickly glanced around and saw nothing. He turned back to the library and his finger curled around the pin. He began to slide the pin out when he felt an icy heat wash across his wrists. Looking down, he saw the grenade falling to the ground. Wondering why he dropped it, he turned his cold hands over and saw the gaping wounds that had opened his wrists to the bone. He gaped for a second, not understanding what had happened. He heard a small scuffle behind him and he turned with wide eyes. He came nose-to-nose with a demon.  
  
Kurt ported randomly around the room, keeping the soldier's attention on the room and hopefully keeping himself out of sight. Kurt palmed the razor he had grabbed from Herr Logan's room. He silently watched the soldier fire bursts around the room seemingly randomly. Kurt bounced the blade on his palm once. He had seen how Kitty and Valerie had looked when she got to the medlab. It was happening again, more children were dying. Kurt looked from the soldier to the razor again. -It's just like Stefan. And I have to stop it again.- Kurt's face hardened and he ported into the hallway and crept towards the door. He came up behind the soldier and saw him starting to pull the pin. Images of Stefan and Valerie raced through his head. Hesitating for only an instant, he reached around the soldier and slashed the razor across his wrists, hopefully making him drop the grenade before pulling the pin. The soldier stared at his wrists for a second before turning to come face to face with him.  
  
Kurt noticed the surprise melt down to anger and knew what he had to do, exactly what happened to Stefan. Kurt reached out and grabbed the soldier by the harness, pulling him next to himself and they both winked out of existence.  
  
Kurt and the soldier blinked back into reality at the top of the grand staircase. Kurt held still for a fraction of an instant before planting his feet in the soldiers chest and pushing. The soldier flew out onto the stairs, impacting hard and tumbling down to the foyer. He hit bottom and was still. Kurt stared down at the motionless body, nothing but a blank look on his face. Finally turning, he closed his eyes and started shaking before he exploded in a cloud of black smoke.  
  
Main Level  
  
Logan slid from shadow to shadow like an oil on water, barely emerging into the light before another shadow swallowed him. He closed his eyes as a fire team passed him, weapons in the ready positions with the safeties off. Logan waited until the rear guard had stepped past him before letting his claws silently slide out of his hands. He stepped gently forward, reaching slowly over the soldier's shoulder. The soldier opened his mouth to call a warning, but Logan's hand clamped across his throat, crushing the airway. The soldier's eyes bugged out and his foot slammed against the floor once.  
  
The other two soldiers whipped around and saw a silvery blade slip back into their comrade's chest. They jerked their heads up and saw the dark form looming behind the fallen soldier. They aimed and were about to fire when Logan flashed the claws on his left hand out in an arc and clove the weapons in two. The shorter soldier just froze standing there with both parts of his weapon held tightly in his hands. However, the taller soldier had a better presence of mind. He ripped a grenade off his harness and yanked the pin out. Logan started reaching forward to grab the explosive when the soldier dropped it at his feet. Logan took one look and threw himself backward. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both soldiers diving for cover just an instant before an explosion thundered through the hallway.  
  
Logan stayed curled up into a ball until the rumbling and crashing died down. He blinked and snorted the stench of burnt explosive from his nostrils. Looking down the ruined hallway, he didn't see any movement. Walking back over to the soldier her dropped, he reached down and picked the sub-vocal radio up. Sticking the earpiece in, he heard whoever was in charge saying that the primary objective was complete and ordered a full retreat. Logan slammed the radio back down and headed for a window.  
  
He quickly tore through the armor plating and ripped it out, freeing the window. Slamming it open, he stuck his head out and watched the two remaining Chinook transports flying low to the west until they disappeared from sight. He was about to head back inside when a scent from his nightmares reached him, hot adnamantium.  
  
He hopped out the window and landed roughly on the ground. Sniffing the air, he loped around to the front of the mansion. Stepping over a rotor blade that had somehow embedded itself in the ground, he saw the still burning remains of the Apache gunship. Following the scent to the wreckage, he skirted the fire and finally found what had been emitting the smell. Mark was laying half under a chunk of marble and the sickly sweet stench of burning flesh was billowing from his legs. Logan reached down and tore the chunks of stone off his body. Logan's lips pulled back in a soundless snarl when he saw the carbonized flesh on the kids legs. Grabbing Mark under the shoulders, he pulled and saw the glitter of exposed adnamantium coming from what was left of the kid's right shin. Throwing him over his shoulder, he heard Chuck's voice boom out in his head. *They have gone. Everyone is safe now, please make your way to the basement if you can. And if you are hurt, I am searching for you.*  
  
Logan stood still as the great armor plates lifted up and uncovered the glass doors. Kicking them open, he headed inside and towards the medlab. Hopefully, the kids healing factor wasn't shot, there had been enough death today. 


	15. Chapter 14

Feral Bonds Chapter 14  
  
AN: In case someone missed it. This is now rated R.  
  
Heatherthegreatone: Thanks. I'm gratified that you enjoy the action scenes.  
  
Burning Light: Thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying quasi-unique spin I've put on Kitty. I've really tried to make the action scenes as realistic as I possibly could. Fights are short and brutal. None of this five minute back and forth you see in the movies. With two people that know what they are doing, the first unblocked/dodged strike usually finishes it. And when you have nine inch blades sticking out of your hands and absolutely no reservations about using them, things would get a bit...wet. It's probably just me, but hey.  
  
Inuyasha0001: Thanks. The scene with Valerie took freaking forever to write. I must have trashed it and rewritten it eight or nine times before I was happy with it. I needed to put an element of tragedy in and I hope that fulfilled it.  
  
Random: The term "dark halls of obscurity" isn't even mine. I agree with it, but it's still not mine. Almost every person I know personally that frequents ff.net don't even remember that the R fics aren't automatically included. They just read what comes up. When I talked about turning this into an R, my friend used it.  
  
Rooftop  
  
Scott shifted the block of shattered concrete and grunting, flipped it off the pile. It rolled down the side of the building and slammed into the remains of the Apache, making a hollow booming sound echo across the estate. He turned and took in the heavily damaged mansion, his eyes hidden from view behind his visor, and for once in his life, he was grateful. He bent back down and grasped another chunk of concrete. Straining, he lifted it and sent it to join it's companion's fate. Hearing a shout, he stuck his head over the side and saw Logan cleanly slicing the chopper into manageable pieces. Scott watched emotionlessly for a moment before he withdrew from the ledge and sat down heavily on the roof.  
  
His eyes stared sightlessly into the sky as he relived the previous night. It had easily been the worst few hours of his life. Even after all the training, and the missions the X-men had gone on, nothing else had held the sheer terror last night had. He thought about the incident with Jean in the hallway. It had felt right to attack the soldiers. They were invading his home, his sanctuary, and they had come for blood. It felt right, but he couldn't forget the pleading look on Jean's face when she stopped him. She looked like she was pleading for something more than the soldier's lives. She looked like she was pleading for the life of a dream.  
  
Scott shook his head in frustration. Look what that dream had almost done to them. What it had done to a few of them.  
  
Amara, laying still unconscious in the medlab, her body broken.  
  
Valerie, now entombed in ice. Waiting for her parents to come and claim her body for burial.  
  
Kitty, also unconscious, but not a mark on her to explain why.  
  
Kurt, down with the Professor, crying uncontrollably and rocking himself while the Professor tried to comfort him.  
  
And Mark, laying in the medlab where he had spent most of his time here, thrashing and groaning while what was left of his healing factor slowly and painfully reconstructed what remained of his legs.  
  
Scott sighed. At least they had done what they had to do. They might have blood on their hands and burns on their souls, but they could rest easily with the fact that they had given their all to defend their friends. He recalled the derisive sneer on Logan's face when he had left the medlab. Scott felt his insides churn in embarrassment and shame. Logan had done what he had to do, and in the process, probably saved the school. And while he was doing it, Scott had sat in the medlab, shaking and trying half- heartedly to come up with a plan to save them without bloodshed. And he had failed. Everything he could think of to do would have resulted in loss of life. He remembered Jean's look of understanding as Logan stormed out. A brief flash of annoyance flashed through his head. He didn't want understanding or pity. He was the leader of the X-men for god's sake.  
  
He grabbed a chip of concrete and tossed it angrily across the roof. Next time was going to face the facts. Sometimes you had to just survive. The Professor's dream was a good thing, but they had to survive if they ever wanted it to come to pass.  
  
Front steps  
  
Logan tore another piece out of the chopper and tossed it to the rapidly growing pile. Standing back up, he popped his neck and took a glance around. Students were running back and forth, clearing rubble and putting the grounds back into shape. Focusing back on the downed Apache, he cut out another piece and threw it over. Movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. Rogue was solid black and had a sparkling aura. He grunted. He admitted to himself that her power was more than useful on occasion. She had touched Sunspot after he begged off sick and gotten a dose of super- strength. She hefted a two ton block over her head and dropped it over the side of the stairs. He smirked. -Yep, defiantly useful.-  
  
Bobby came zipping by on one of his ice slides and called out for lunch. Logan gave the chopper another look before grabbing a towel and wiping his hands off and heading in.  
  
Medlab  
  
Hank picked up the squeeze bottle of warm saline and gently washed the wounds on Amara's legs once again. He quickly finished and dropped the now filthy gauze square into the nearly full trashcan. Leaning back, he reached up and rubbed his eyes, trying to banish the fatigue that had plagued him for the past few hours. He just sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. Finally moving, he took a glance at Mark. He was laying down, still unconscious inside a makeshift oxygen tent. Hank grabbed the bottle and another swab and walked over. Brushing back the plastic, he raised the tented sheet and examined his legs. Pouring the saline over a shin, he gently rubbed the crisped skin. He nodded with satisfaction to himself when the blackened skin sloughed off and exposed the pink tint of newly formed skin. Hank finished removing the dead skin and backed away. Looking from Mark to Amara, he wished that he could bottle Mark's healing factor.  
  
Sighing, he reached into a cabinet and searched for a Twinkie. Finding nothing, he double-checked to make sure, then strode out the door, heading to the kitchen to get something to eat before he started another long shift playing doctor.  
  
Front Office  
  
Jean smiled at the two police inspectors for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past hour. Her face left like it was going to split under the strain anytime now. "I can defiantly understand how the tower falling could be mistaken for a crash Officer." Jean reached out again, and using a trick she had learned from the Professor, nudged the officers minds to accept the fact that a wooden tower the school had erected as a team-building exercise had toppled over during the night and hit a propane tank which in turn caused the damage to the school.  
  
Both of the inspectors had a glazed look in their eyes. Finally, one spoke. "I'm just here to check it out Ms. Grey. I'm sure that the people that called this in will be relieved to know it was just a tower falling and nothing serious like a plane crash."  
  
Jean continued to smile. "I'm certainty glad you will have good news to report."  
  
Both investigators nodded at each other and closed their notebooks. The taller one spoke. "Well Ms. Grey, I'm sure that you need to get back to the cleanup. Thank you for your time and cooperation."  
  
Jean nodded her head. "Anytime. The Institute appreciates your speed in investigating this." She escorted them out of the institute and gave their minds a final push to make sure they didn't suddenly remember anything later.  
  
She waved as they pulled out of the gate. She stood there until the gate fully closed then she seemed to slump into herself. She looked at the destruction with empty eyes. She just stood there motionless until she felt hunger pains starting. She turned and walked into the mansion.  
  
Medlab  
  
Mark's eyes opened and took in the white tile ceiling. He turned his head and saw Kitty laying on another table. His brows fell as the scent of her blood hit his nose. Flexing his legs a bit, he threw them over the side of the table and stood. His hand shot out and grabbed the table for support as his legs threatened to fold under him. He stood shakily for a few moments before letting go of the table and walking slowly, but steadily over to Kitty. Pulling back the blanket, he quickly ran his hands over her, looking for injuries. Finding none, he put a hand on her forehead and waited for her to wake.  
  
He stood there motionless for little over an hour before Kitty's eyes fluttered and opened. She blinked and slowly focused on Mark. She coughed and sat up. Shaking her head to banish the mist that had formed, she let out a quiet sigh. Reaching up and brushing Mark's hand off, she stood. She let out a yelp and started to fall when her legs buckled, but Mark snapped a hand out and held her upright. She stood still for a moment, letting her head stop spinning. Finally getting her balance, she stood and brushed Mark's hand off. She looked around and saw Amara. Fear gripped her heart as she rushed over.  
  
Kitty grabbed the table and started softly calling. "Amara, like wake up." Seeing Amara twitch and mumble, she let out a sigh of relief. She turned back to Mark. "Like what happened?"  
  
He was silent for a moment before answering. "They left."  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "That was totally informative. Is everyone ok?"  
  
Mark nodded. "Yes."  
  
Kitty sighed, realizing that that was about as much information as she was going to get out of him. She felt her stomach gurgle and she motioned to the door. "Come on, let's see if we can get something out of the fridge."  
  
Kitchen  
  
Logan stuck the sweatband in his back pocket and grabbed a hunk of chicken and a Molson from the fridge. He bit into the leg and looked over the gathered people. Watching the students quietly talk without any of the usual high-powered banter, he snorted. -Maybe something good came out of this after all.- His gaze finally fell on Hank. He was sitting at the end of a table with his head on the wood and a mound of Twinkie wrappers next to him. The other students were obviously giving him his rest. Logan popped the cap off the beer and took a slug. Thinking for a moment, he walked over and sat down next to Hank.  
  
Logan took another pull from the bottle and let it drop to the table. Hank's entire body jerked at the sound. He raised his face and shot Logan an exasperated look. "What is it Logan?"  
  
Logan just snorted again. "You know Blue, shit happens and people die."  
  
Hank rolled his eyes and dropped back to the table. "What a remarkably astute observation Logan, perhaps you should write a book."  
  
Logan tore another hunk out of the chicken and slowly chewed it while he thought about what to say. "Ain't the first time someone died in combat Blue. Just stop worrying about it. It ain't the last time neither."  
  
Hank hit the table with his forehead once before sitting up and fixing Logan with a baleful glare. "That is true Logan. But I think a soldier going KIA is a just a 'tiny' bit different than a seven year old."  
  
Logan's face clouded over as he sat in thought. He finally drained the beer and slammed it down. "Think about it this way Macoy, all she did was die. Be grateful."  
  
Hank was about to respond when he heard a shout from the other side of the kitchen. Both he and Logan both stood up and looked over the heads of the rest of the now silent and motionless students. Bobby was standing and pointing at Mark and Kitty, who both looked like they just walked in the door.  
  
Bobby's face was scrunched up in obvious anger and people could see frost forming on the table. "It's YOUR fault. They came for you. They don't give a crap about us."  
  
Another student's hand grabbed his sleeve and tried to pull him down. "Listen man, just let the Professor deal with it."  
  
Bobby tore his arm away from the grasp. "No, We're just sitting here waiting for those people to come back for HIM again." He gave another jab in Mark's direction.  
  
Kitty frowned. "It's totally not his fault. He was being hurt where he was Bobby." Bobby's table gained a coat of ice. "So it's ok to bring him here and have them hurt us? GOD DAMN IT KITTY, VALERIE IS DEAD. AND IT'S HIS FAULT!"  
  
Logan saw Kitty's face flash a look of rage that wouldn't have looked out of place on him. Mark almost instantly shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, getting ready to fight. Logan decided that enough was enough. He slammed his hands down on the table and the entire room jumped when the thick wood cracked. He fixed Bobby with a glare. "Listen Icecube, people like Mark are why we do this. We aren't here just to hold people's hands when they show their powers, we're here to help mutants that are in danger because of what they are."  
  
Bobby started to wilt under Logan's formidable glare, but his anger quickly overcame his fear. "That's fine, but dump him somewhere else. In case you forgot, people are 'dead' because of him."  
  
Logan stepped around the table. "Maybe, but he's the reason most of the second year students got downstairs at all." Logan threw a quick glance over at Kitty, she seemed to be calming down, but he could smell the adrenaline pouring off Mark.  
  
Bobby shook his head. "Great, so he brings em here, get's people hurt and killed, but it's all ok, he made sure not everyone got hurt." Bobby slammed his fist down on the table. "Screw it, and screw you Mark. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we don't want you here, so just fucking leave."  
  
Kitty went right back to beet-red pissed. "Fuck you Bobby." And her hands clenched into fists.  
  
Bobby's face twisted into a snarl of rage. He jumped over the table and took a step towards Kitty.  
  
Logan knew exactly what was going to happen. He launched himself forward and hoped he got there in time.  
  
Bobby started to raise his hands to fire a ice blast at Kitty when Mark suddenly snapped forward and grabbed his wrist in a crushing grip, the ice slightly cracking. Bobby yelped and swung his other fist over to dispense what he saw as justice for all the pain and fear of last night. His fist whistled through the air and slammed into Mark's temple, breaking the skin and tinting his ice fist pink.  
  
Mark's head whipped to one side and his vision wavered for an instant. Twisting back around, he slammed his forearm into Bobby's chest, knocking the breath out of him and sending him back a few inches. Still holding tightly onto his wrist, Mark reached out and dug his fingers into Bobby's belt. Bobby started to fire an ice blast when Mark picked him up off the ground and torqued his waist, sending him flying against the wall. Bobby hit the wall and started to rebound.  
  
Logan saw the claws rip out of Mark's hands and leaped into the air. Logan slammed into Mark's side and they both fell to the floor, cracking the tile. Logan quickly wrapped his arms around the kid's, trying to keep him immobile. They rolled around on the floor for a few moments, Mark straining to free his arms, and Logan grunting with the effort needed to keep in control.  
  
Mark sucked in a deep breath slowly and held it for a moment. Exhaling explosively, he rammed his head backwards. Logan was ready for the move, but didn't move quite fast enough. Mark's head slammed into his cheekbone and split the skin, drawing blood before the wound closed. A red haze finally falling over his vision, Logan flipped them both over and slammed his knee into Mark's midsection. Mark doubled over and spit out a glob of blood. Whipping his left arm around in an arc, Mark ripped the front of Logan's shirt off, missing the skin. Continuing the motion, Mark planted his hands on the floor and pushed, sending both of them into the air. While they were twisting in the air, Logan grabbed the back of Mark's head with his right hand and shifted his weight. As they came down, Logan dug his fingers into Mark's hair and slammed his forehead into the marble counter. The marble cracked and Mark bonelessly flopped to the floor.  
  
Bobby stood and started shouting. "SEE! HE'S AN ANIMAL!. If he's here, NONE of us are safe! Either those people will come back, or he will try to finish the job himself!"  
  
Kitty whipped around and slapped Bobby across the face. "That's totally not true Bobby!"  
  
Bobby started to respond when the Professor rolled in. Flashing a glare around the kitchen, he took in the damage and with a quick scan, knew what happened. "Bobby, leave, go to your dorm." Bobby shot Mark's limp body a glare before turning back to the Professor and opening his mouth. Xavier beat him to it. "Now Bobby." Bobby ground his teeth and stomped out of the room.  
  
Xavier followed him with his eyes until he made sure he had left before turning back to the students. "Kitty, Sam, take Mark down to the medlab." Turning to Hank. "When you get a few moments, would you examine him Hank?"  
  
Hank groaned and dry-washed his face, trying to fight off sleep. "No problem Professor."  
  
Kitty and Sam grabbed Mark's armpits and lifted. Kitty quickly phased them through the floor.  
  
Xavier turned to Logan and reached out mentally. *Unfortunately, I think Bobby might have a valid point. We may have to send Mark elsewhere.*  
  
Logan growled. *That's bullshit Chuck. Anywhere else, he's a sitting duck.*  
  
Xavier sighed. *I am aware of that Logan. It's not something I want to do, but this is not a military installation, it's a school. And I can 'not' have students fear for their lives. *He paused for a moment. *Or lose them.*  
  
Logan ground his teeth and slammed down his mental shields. Growling in frustration, he walked out of the room and slammed the door.  
  
Xavier rolled back into the hallway and sighed. Sometimes, everyone lost. 


	16. Chapter 15

Feral Bonds Chapter 15  
  
Quick response to a couple of e-mails I got. I figure there are people out there that are wondering the same thing, but don't ask.  
  
First. Bobby being ooc in the kitchen scene, Well, he never struck me as the most..stalwart kid. The night before was a massive shock, he's scared and his anger is his coping mechanism. Mark just happens to be the most available target.  
  
Second. Xavier being ooc: Again, the previous night was a shock. He's lived his entire life with the security of his powers. No one screws with the Prof. Yet that night, he was suddenly useless while those that he has a responsibility for are being hurt and one killed, something that he knows he could have stopped. Basically, he's scared. And fear motivates people to do the strangest things, even Xavier.  
  
I guess this is just a long-winded way of saying. Yes, they are ooc, but hell, they have a good reason to be. If they weren't ooc after that, that really would be ooc.  
  
And another thing, this chapter pushes this story over the 100-page mark in Word. Kinda funny considering I originally thought it would be absolute max of 15 pages or so. Either way, this fic is getting damn hard to write, so updates are gonna be further between.  
  
Inuyasha0001: Thanks. I looked around for someone for that scene and Bobby jumped out at me screaming "I can be an asshole! Put me in the fic!"  
  
Hex6: Glad you're liking it.  
  
Hallway near medlab  
  
Sam and Kitty both grunted as they tried to manhandle Mark's body down the hall. Kitty took a deep breath and heaved. And lifted his legs a whole inch off the floor. Finally just dropping them, she stood up. "How can he like run. Heck, like how can he even stand? He weighs a ton."  
  
Sam, feeling his testosterone kick in, decided to do the manly thing and carry Mark himself. Setting his feet wide, he took a deep breath and pulled. And pulled some more. The body twitched...a little. He continued to grunt and moan for a few more moments before dropping Mark's shoulders back to the floor. "I give up."  
  
He sat down in the corner and crossed his arms over his knees. He was silent for a few minutes. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Hey, Kitty."  
  
Kitty was dragged out of her thoughts. She looked at Sam. "Yea?"  
  
Sam was quiet for a few seconds, trying to find a way to say exactly what he meant. "You know, Bobby may have been an asshole about it, but he might be right." He saw Kitty's face flush red and he could tell she was about to pop. He hurried to finish. "I mean, those people are after him and everything. We obviously aren't a match for whoever they are. And you are the only person here that he won't attack at the drop of a pin."  
  
Kitty's face if anything, got even redder and her face twisted in anger. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sam knew that if he didn't finish, he never would. "You saw him up there Kitty, he was about to really really hurt Bobby. He had his claws out and everything."  
  
Kitty's face drained and she spoke in a low voice. "Yea, I know."  
  
Sam continued in a gentle voice. "I know it sucks Kitty, but we really can't afford to keep him here. You just have to look at Amara or Val to see that."  
  
Kitty sniffed and wiped a tear from her eyes. "I have. But where would he actually like go? He can barely speak! It's not like the Professor could like put him with a foster family or anything."  
  
Sam mulled that over. "True. There has to be someplace he can go though."  
  
Kitty let out a frustrated snort before leaning her head back against the wall and rubbing her eyes with her hands. "If I'm not there, the only other place that could like hold him would be a mental institution, and that would totally make us just as bad as those soldiers."  
  
Sam nodded. "I don't know where. I just know that we can't have him around to slice any of us when he gets pissy. Heck, even X23 just gave us a whack on the head and let us be."  
  
Kitty's head jerked forward and she stared at Sam with wide eyes. Sam was about to ask her what was up when she spoke. "That's like totally perfect Sam!" She jumped to her feet and phased through the wall before Sam had a chance to respond.  
  
Sam stared after her for a moment before speaking into thin air. "What's perfect?" His eyes drifted to Mark's now twitching body. "And don't leave me alone with this guy!...........Kitty?........KITTY!"  
  
Foyer  
  
Xavier sat patiently next to the front doors, waiting for Logan to come by on his way out. His thoughts drifted to what he was going to do with Mark. Obviously he was dangerous to keep at the mansion, but it wasn't his fault that he was so. Xavier's eyes narrowed in frustration. It was the fault of whoever made him what he was. His fist slammed down on the armrest. If only he could find them. Whatever they were using to block telepathy was maddeningly efficient. Hearing heavy footsteps from across the room, he abandoned his line of thought for the moment. Now as the time to mollify Logan.  
  
Logan came striding across the foyer, looking for all the world like a man on a mission. Xavier arched an eyebrow and shot him an inquisitive look. Logan just shot him a glare and kept walking. Xavier sighed. "Logan, we do need to talk about this."  
  
Logan stopped and turned his head to look at him. "No we don't Xavier." The Professor inwardly winced, Logan only used his last name when he was 'really' pissed. "You've already made up your mind about it. Just toss him out to the wolves." Logan started to say something else before closing his mouth and starting towards the door again.  
  
Xavier spoke up. "I am not throwing him to the metaphorical wolves Logan. I'm trying to find a place that can provide the care he needs."  
  
Logan didn't stop walking. "Like where Xavier? If he's not safe here, where would he be? And I've gotta sinking feeling that you're not all that worried about his health."  
  
Xavier sighed. "Logan, I am responsible for everyone in this house. I have to make decisions that affect everyone. As for where, Stonybrook Mental institution has a long track record of dealing with mentally unstable mutants. They can give him the help he needs."  
  
Logan stopped dead in his tracks. Standing still for a moment, he slowly turned to the Professor, looking like a predator about to strike. His voice was low and gravely. "So your decision is to throw him back in a cage?"  
  
Xavier closed his eyes. "It's not a cage Logan, it's a managed care facility."  
  
Logan started breathing heavily, but was silent for a moment before exploding. "Fuck you Chuck. It's a goddamed cage and you fucking know it. You can't deal with the shit that went down last night, so you are going to toss him out and stick your head in the fucking sand, hoping they take the bait and leave you the hell alone." And with that, Logan spun back to the door and slamming it open, stalked out.  
  
Xavier was silent until the sounds of a motorcycle engine faded into the distance. "He's angry Ororo."  
  
Ororo walked out of an office and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I could tell Charles. He sees himself in Mark, and he feels the possibility of him being removed from here as a rejection of himself."  
  
Xavier sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I just wish that he would listen to reason. This situation is just too dangerous as it is."  
  
Kitty stumbled through the wall and almost ran into Ororo. She caught herself and blurted out. "Have either of you like seen Logan? I totally need to talk to him."  
  
Xavier nodded. "He left a short time ago. He will most probably not return until late tonight. What did you need to speak to him about Kitty?"  
  
Kitty blinked, just realizing that Xavier could help. "It's about Mark." Xavier leaned forward, obviously interested. Kitty continued. "Sam and I talked. Maybe moving Mark somewhere else would be like a good idea. But we can't send him to like a head house, that would be just as bad as what those soldiers were going to do to him."  
  
Xavier slightly flinched at the unknown accusation and he felt Ororo's hand give a gentle squeeze. "Well Kitty, what do you think can be done?"  
  
Kitty continued. "Well, he's not like the only person in the world like that. I was figuring Logan could get X23 to come do something. She's totally on the run from people with guns, so she could help. And she could totally handle him. She like, beat us all when she came here, one person shouldn't like pose much of a problem."  
  
Xavier blinked a few times in astonishment. Granted, it wasn't anything near an optimal solution, and it had it's problems, but it just might work. Glancing at Ororo, he saw her nod slightly. He turned back to Kitty. "I'll take that under consideration Kitty, and I'll be sure to let Logan know when he returns."  
  
Kitty nodded. "Thanks Professor. Let me know what happens. Please?"  
  
Xavier smiled, the pressure of finding the least bad solution now gone. "Of course Kitty. I believe that Evan had brought your missed assignments home from school. Why don't you get working on those."  
  
Kitty sighed. She had forgotten about those. "Ok Professor." She then turned and walked off.  
  
Ororo waited until Kitty had disappeared before speaking. "Charles, are you sure that handing him over to X23 would be the wisest decision? She is not precisely stable herself."  
  
Xavier folded his hands under his nose. "That is true Ororo, but she shares a 'unique' perspective with him. They are both engineered people, they both are extremely...focused, they both have been altered by those they see as captors, and they both have a tendency to listen to their instincts first and listen later."  
  
Ororo lifted an eyebrow. "And those reasons are exactly why I don't think it would be a good idea to join them together and let them loose without supervision."  
  
Xavier continued. "I think it would be quite beneficial to them both. Having a firsthand example of how others view them would go quite far in moderating both of their more...extreme behaviors." Xavier fell silent for a moment before continuing. "I am going to Cerebro to attempt to locate her. Jean can be continue to act as liaison to any more officials or reporters that arrive. I'll see you at dinner." He then turned and rolled to his office, quietly closing the door behind him.  
  
Ororo watched him leave. She had never seen him take such an..unconventional approach. She only hoped that he was acting out of the boy's best interests, his behavior since the previous night had been inexplicably erratic for him. She sighed to herself. Things would work out how they would work out. 


	17. Chapter 16

Feral Bonds Chapter 16  
  
The reviewer known as Me: Actually, no. I didn't originally plan to use X23. Hell, when I thought this fic up, I wasn't even aware of her existence. But then again, this story is basically nothing like what I originally thought up. But I did have X23 on the story arc outline as an alternative by the time I started actually writing, er. typing, whatever. As for how I'm gonna use her, ya just gotta read, sorry. :) And a lot of X23's appeal 'is' the fact that she's a stone cold crazy chick.  
  
Burning Light: Um, wow. Think you could get a tax-exempt card for that? Might help with the plushie fund. And splitting up Mark and Kitty, I dunno yet. I have an arc-outline for both breaking em up and keeping em together. Just haven't decided which one I'm gonna use.  
  
I Don't Review: Thanks. And on the issue of the Kitty/Mark romance, I..doubt it. Mark isn't exactly date material, he's as romantic as a sack full of doorknobs to the head.  
  
Inuyasha0001: Thanks again. I hope I can do X23 some justice. There isn't really any material to work off of besides the fact that she's continuously pissy. Maybe they will flesh her out in that new comic NYX.  
  
Bluefuzzyelf: Glad ya like it.  
  
Answers to questions that people e-mail me about but I'm sure at least one other person wants to know section: Actually, my personal key to writing my action scenes is to watch anime music videos at full blast while running the scene over in my head a few times. I watch the craziest vids too. The one that really puts me in a mood to write violence is a video of Auska's fight with the MP-Evas in End of Evangelion set to an english version of Nena's "99 Red Balloons". Another one that sets my blood boiling is a Tenchi Muyo vid set to Metallica's "I Disappear". A weird techno-industrial version of the Christmas carol 'God rest ye merry gentleman' also set to Tenchi Muyo is another fantastic one. Trust me, after watching those vids back to back, you'll be ready to rip something apart yourself.  
  
Harry's Bar and Grill  
  
Logan slammed the empty beer bottle down on the counter. Catching the bartender's eye, he signaled for another one. The bartender walked over and sat another bottle down. Eyeing the half-dozen other empty bottles, he looked Logan in the eye. "Hey buddy, I think that's gonna be your last one for tonight. Want me to call you a cab?"  
  
Logan drained the beer and dropped it on the bar. Taking a glance at the bartender, he narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess, you're new here."  
  
The bartender leaned forward on the bar. "Yea, couple days now. Don't change nothing. That's still your last."  
  
Logan growled. "Listen bub, takes more than american pisswater to get me drunk. Trust me on that."  
  
The bartender inwardly sighed. "Don't matter how tough you think you are, that's seven brews in ten minutes. I'm cutting you off."  
  
Logan started to shift forward to grab his collar when he heard a ringing. Blinking once, he grabbed the phone out of his jacket, snapped it open, and bit out. "What?"  
  
Ororo's voice came out of the phone. "Logan, you need to return to the mansion."  
  
Logan growled. "What? Chuck didn't want to give me a call? Got you doing the grunt work now?"  
  
Ororo's sigh came across loud and clear. "Logan, the past few days have been stressful for us all, and the Professor doubly so. But this is not the reason I telephoned you. Kitty has devised a possible solution and wants your input on it."  
  
Logan didn't respond. After a few seconds of silence, Ororo spoke. "Logan?" He glanced up at the bartender who made a cutting motion. Growling, he snapped "Yea." Before slamming the phone shut and stuffing it in his pocket. Tossing the bartender a dark look, he dropped a $20 on the bar and stomped out the door.  
  
Mansion office  
  
Ororo sighed again and set the phone down in it's cradle. She closed her eyes for a moment before turning to the Professor and Kitty. "I believe he is on his way back home."  
  
Xavier nodded and rolled back to the fireplace. Kitty glanced between them, sensing an understated tension. Ororo sat down next to Kitty. "The Professor and Logan had some words before he left, so Logan is most probably..unhappy at the moment. So this meeting could take a while." Kitty nodded and relaxed, it's not like Logan being angry was anything new.  
  
Fifteen minutes later Logan came storming into the office and sat heavily down in one of the chairs. Glancing around at the staring faces, he bit out. "What's the plan Half-Pint?"  
  
Kitty inwardly blew a sigh of relief, Mr. Logan wasn't mad at her or he wouldn't be using her nickname. Feeling bolstered, she spoke up. "Well Mr. Logan, I was talking to Sam while we were totally trying to get Mark to the medlab like the Professor wanted when he brought up that Bobby had a point when he was yelling.." Logan scowled. ".he is dangerous to everyone here. I mean, he did almost like skewer Bobby. And we kept talking.."  
  
Logan broke in. "Is there a point to this Half-Pint? Or you gonna tell me your life story?"  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he mentioned X23, and I got to thinking, she's a lot like him, so why not have her look after him? She beat all of us, Mark shouldn't like be a problem for her."  
  
Logan blinked and sat back in his seat. His brows fell as he thought about his daughter/clone/whatever. She survived the destruction of the Hydra hovership, there was no doubt of that. But she had mentioned that SHIELD was after her as well and he wasn't sure if Fury had taps into the mansion or not.  
  
Kitty continued. "And she had people with guns after her, so she knows how to avoid them. And she can like totally teach him. They both have the whole 'slice and dice' thing going on." Kitty mentally crossed her fingers, trying to will Logan to agree.  
  
Logan just stared at Kitty for a while. Finally, he turned to Xavier and fixed him with an emotionless stare. "I don't know where she is."  
  
Xavier visibly relaxed. "No need to worry, I've already taken the liberty of locating her." Xavier turned and missed the scowl on Logan's face. "She's in a homeless shelter in New York."  
  
Logan blinked, then growled. "A 'homeless' shelter? And how long has she been there Xavier?"  
  
Xavier folded his hands on the desk. "From what I have been able to tell, she's been there since shortly after the incident with Viper."  
  
Logan inwardly swore and stood. "Have Scooter get the jet prepped. I'm going to New York."  
  
Our Lady of Grace shelter  
  
Logan pushed open the metal security door. Stepping inside, he immediately was assaulted by the stench of too many bodies that had gone too long unwashed. Snorting in a vain attempt to clear his nose, he caught the recorded sound of a man condemning mankind for their sins. -Great, a preacher.- Logan rolled his eyes and sniffed the air, trying to catch her scent. His eyes started watering after getting a lungful of the stench in the building. Sorting through the smells, he caught a faint trace of her. He followed the scent and tried to avoid stepping on anyone. Stepping through a doorway, he looked carefully around the room, trying to figure out which lump was her. He saw a likely heap of blankets and started to walk to it when a whisper of sound sent his danger sense skyrocketing. He tensed to spin around when a weight impacted on his back and the faint metal on metal scrape of a blade being unsheathed broke what was left of the silence. Logan froze when he felt an arm reach around his shoulders and the claw pressed against his neck next to his jugular.  
  
X23 wrapped her legs around his torso to get a more secure hold and leaned forward. Almost brushing his ear with her mouth, she ground out. "What are 'you' doing here?"  
  
Not moving a muscle, Logan spoke quietly. "I didn't know you were here kid. I could have helped you out, you didn't have to live like this."  
  
X23 put a little more pressure on her claw and the coppery scent of blood wafted into the room. "Why are you here?"  
  
Logan sighed inwardly. "Listen kid." the claw pressed harder and she let out a growl. "..ok, listen to me. First off, I really didn't know about this before today, and as soon as I was told, I came right out." X23 was silent, and the claw didn't move. "Anyway, I need your help with something back in Bayville."  
  
X23 unwrapped her legs from his torso and dropped to the floor, not making a sound. Logan slowly turned and got his first look at her in months. Gone was the leather and kevlar jumpsuit and jacket he had seen her in before. Now she was wearing a dirty pair of way-too-big men's slacks and a threadbare sweater. Her hair was grit-filled and looked like she had hacked parts of it off with a knife. Which he guessed she probably did.  
  
X23 obviously didn't care to stand and wait while he critiqued her fashion sense. She leaned back against the door jam. She looked at him expectantly for a moment before biting out. "Well?"  
  
Logan looked her right in the eye. "We found someone a few days ago. Someone like you. Got the same problems with nosy parents. But that's all I want to tell you in the open like this. Ya interested?" Not getting an immediate response, he added, "Come back with me, no one deserves to live like this kid."  
  
X23 didn't even growl at the kid comment, but just stared at Logan for a few minutes with an intense expression on her face. Finally, she took a single glance around the room and spoke. "Fine." And with that, she turned and started walking out of the building. Logan followed.  
  
Blackbird  
  
Logan leveled the plane out at 20,000 feet and snapped the auto-pilot on. He unsnapped his harness and stood, cracking his neck. --I hate flying.- Walking back, he heard the sound of the emergency chemical shower shutting off. Reaching into a compartment, he pulled out one of the extra student uniforms stashed in it. The door opened and X23stepped through, wiping off the water with a blanket. Logan handed her the uniform and she quirked an eyebrow.  
  
Logan snorted. "It's either that or the toga." She glanced down at the thin blanket. She reached out and took the uniform. She stepped back into the medical section and emerged a few moments later wearing the black and yellow jumpsuit.  
  
Logan fought to contain a grin as she picked at the skintight material with a look of disgust plastered on her face. X23 must have smelled something from him. Her head jerked up and she sent him a black look. Reaching up, she took a firm grasp on the shoulder guards and letting a claw slip out an inch, tore them off. She turned one over in her hand and stared at it for a second. Smirking to herself, she dropped it to the ground like a dead rat and Logan heard her mutter "Useless."  
  
Her head raised again and they both locked eyes for a second before X23 turned and walked to the copilot's seat and strapped herself in. Logan walked back up and took his seat. Neither spoke for the better part of fifteen minutes before she spoke. "What's the situation you're pulling me into exactly?"  
  
Logan folded his arms. "It's....complicated. Maybe you should wait for Xavier to explain it."  
  
Her head turned and emerald eyes bored into his. "Uncomplicate it or land this jet."  
  
Logan was silent for a moment before answering. "We recovered a mutant from an experimentation facility in Colorado a few days ago. From the data we recovered, they were the original Weapon X group." Searching her face for a reaction and finding none, he blazed ahead. "He was engineered, kinda like you, but not from my dna. They apparently had a shortage of adnamantium at the local 7-11 cause the procedure they used was.different than what we went through."  
  
X23 rubbed the spaces between her knuckles. "Another super-soldier?"  
  
Logan nodded. "Yea, we got the files at the mansion. You can read em when we get there." She nodded and turned back to stare out the window.  
  
Logan just continued to watch her in silence for a few more minutes before he continued. "He's.different than us. They didn't train him." That got a sharp look. "They didn't even raise him like you. They kept him in a cage. Hell, he couldn't even speak before Xavier did a head job on em."  
  
X23 narrowed her eyes. "Head job?"  
  
Logan nodded. "Xavier will have to explain that one. I couldn't even if I tried." She seemed to accept that. "Another thing, remember Kitty?" She nodded. "Don't approach her when he's around, something with what Weapon X did to him attached him to her. Kinda like a pup to it's mother. He's fiercely protective of her. I doubt that he could actually hurt you, but just an fyi."  
  
X23 nodded. "Fine. What's his name anyway?"  
  
Logan shrugged. "He responds to Mark. Kitty pulled it out of his project name, Weapon mk2."  
  
She snorted and had a lopsided grin. "They can't just name us can they? It's just one stupid codename after another."  
  
Logan smirked. "Seems that way."  
  
They kept silent until Logan started prepping the jet for landing. Flipping switches seemingly randomly, he didn't take his eyes off the board when he spoke. "By the way, what do you go by now? I don't think you'd use X23 after Hydra.  
  
She popped a knuckle before answering. "It's the closest thing I have to an actual name." She was silent for another moment before continuing. "But I used Jennifer when I got to the shelter. It's a common enough name it wouldn't generate suspicion in a search if what's left of Hydra or SHIELD found out I was still breathing."  
  
Logan nodded, then grinned. "So, mind if I call you Jenny?"  
  
X23 turned and stared at him blankly before shrugging. "I don't give a damn. It's not my name either."  
  
Logan didn't respond. He just flipped a few switches and brought the Blackbird in for a landing.  
  
Outside the kitchen  
  
Logan led X23 towards the kitchen, from how she looked, it had been a while since she ate something decent. He reached out and started to push the doors open when Rhane came bursting out. She narrowly avoided slamming into them. She started to mumble an apology when she got a good look at X23. Her eyes flew open and she jerked back. A cry escaped her mouth. "Ahhhhh, the crazy chick is back!"  
  
She was about to jump back into the kitchen when Logan grabbed her shoulder. "It's ok kid. She's supposed to be here." He gave X23 a sideways glance and saw the blank mask she wore. Rhane pulled out of Logan's grasp and backed down the hallway, keeping Logan between her and X23. Logan snorted. "Don't take it personally. They just have to get used to ya."  
  
X23 turned to him, but the blank look never wavered. "I'm a living Weapon. Remember? The opinion of a frightened child is of no concern to me." She opened the door and walked in. Logan could hear the sound of utensils clattering to plates and the din of conversation had cut off like someone had slit it's throat. Logan rolled his eyes and walked in. Logan would later refer to what he saw as 'the one good way to shut those kids up for five seconds'."  
  
Everyone was staring motionless and completely silent as X23 raided the fridge. Logan had to dig his fingernails into his palm to keep from laughing. It wasn't that much different from watching a fox in a rabbit hutch. They acted like she was going to suddenly turn and start hacking at them, or start screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs. Which to be quite honest, after the last time she was here, the first option might not be all that unfounded of a worry. X23 dragged half a chicken out and spitted it on her claws. She turned slightly and glared back at the students before taking a bite.  
  
No one but X23 moved for the next few minutes. And she just stood there and glared, occasionally taking a bite. Finally, the stalemate was shattered when Scott came busting in with his hand on his visor. He almost instantly caught sight of X23 and dropped into his fighting stance and waited for her to make a move.  
  
She glanced at Logan for a second before grabbing a soda off the counter and slicing the top off nonchalantly before draining it in a single pull. Scott never even twitched, but finally spoke. Logan, what is going on?"  
  
Logan smirked. "Well Summers, we think that she might be able to help us out with our problem."  
  
Scott was quiet for a moment before dropping his hand and standing. "Did the Professor ok this?"  
  
Logan nodded. "Yea, it was half his idea to begin with. We're heading up there when she's done." X23 dropped the rest of the chicken onto the counter and stepped away. She walked past Logan and Scott and into the hall. Logan could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. Unable to resist, he called out over his shoulder. "You kids need another training session don't ya?" and walked out, a groan plainly audible. 


	18. Chapter 17

Feral Bonds Chapter 17  
  
Trunksblue: Thanks. Just tried to make Logan as realistic as possible. As for Mark, I tried to think of how a person would logically react to the circumstances he was in. I briefly considered the archetype of the abused child, but the story would have sucked written that way. I know, that's how I started it. Think of the Mark you read as Mark ver2.0  
  
Burning Light: Ouch. I remember getting mine pulled. Piece of friendly advice, don't use a straw, dry socket hurts like hell.  
  
Inuyasha0001: Thanks  
  
Raz Gaiale: I'm glad you like the story overall. I tried to present Xavier as a human being, not as an unfeeling ubermensch that spouts platitudes on que. X23 does need more done with her in canon. Hopefully, NYX will use her as a main character. For the Amara and Valerie thing, in combat, people hurt, and people die. Combat isn't a game of nerf dodge ball. I added that to offset the 'fighting is always cool and heroic.' It can be, but there is always a price to pay, and more often than not, the innocent pay that price.  
  
AN: Oh yea, sorry for the rather..abrupt end to the last chapter. I had a strange compulsion to post it as it was. By the way, does anyone know how to get italics to show up?  
  
Professor Xavier's office  
  
Logan and X23 walked into the dimly lit office. They both sat down and after a single glance at each other, stared forward in silence. A few moments passed before Xavier, Kitty, and Mark all filed into the room. Kitty and Mark took their seats while Xavier rolled behind the desk.  
  
X23 glanced over at Mark for an instant before narrowing her eyes. She turned back to Xavier and glared at him.  
  
Xavier took a long look at the four people in his office. They all had their problems with living, and maybe if he put them together, they all might find a balance. Finally, he folded his hands under his chin and spoke. "I suppose tedious preliminaries are not a concern. X23, this is Mark." He gestured to Mark, who was just looking out the window. Kitty smacked him on the arm and he looked at her, rubbing his arm and a questioning look in his eyes.  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Look at her." Mark turned and looked at X23 for a second before turning back to Kitty. She sighed. "Like, introduce yourself, or something. I know who you are already."  
  
Mark turned back to X23 and held his hand out. She looked at it for a moment before scowling and turning to Logan. "He's an idiot, what the hell do you need me for? It's dangerous being here."  
  
Xavier spoke. "You would be surprised. He may seem like a child, but there are instances in which he becomes deadly. Which is precisely the reason we need your help. Kitty is the only person that can control him at present."  
  
X23 looked at Kitty for a second before snorting. "Control him? If she can do it, you need Barney, not me."  
  
Kitty's face flushed. She reached out and lowered Mark's hand, which he was still holding out to X23. "He's not stupid." She glanced at him, he had gone back to staring out the window. "Ok, well maybe right now he is." Logan growled and she just shrugged her shoulders before continuing. "He totally defended the mansion from the soldiers." X23's head snapped back to Logan. "What soldiers?"  
  
Logan grabbed a folder and handed it to her. "We were attacked yesterday night by what we think is the group that made him."  
  
X23 flipped through the folder quickly, only stopping to pull random photos out to look at them closer. "He did this?" She held up a photo of the room leading out to the roof and the three corpses in it. "Looks more like you Wolverine."  
  
Logan growled almost inaudibly. "That's sloppy work kid." She shot him a glare, which he ignored. "Yea, he did it."  
  
X23 turned and looked at Mark again, this time she seemed to be giving him an honest appraisal. Finally, she spoke. "Bullshit. He's a creampuff." She then tossed the folder back to the table and shot Logan a murderous glare. "Now tell me why the hell you brought me back here."  
  
Logan sat still for a moment before leaning forward and replying. "Listen, I was there, he did it. And you're here cause we can't afford to have him here in the mansion anymore. The people that want him back seem to be organized. We lost one kid and almost lost another to their raid. You evaded Hydra and SHIELD, you have the skills we need to get him out safely and maybe you can teach him to evade them and act normal." Hearing a quiet snort from Kitty, he growled and amended. "Well, more normal anyway. You have the training, he doesn't."  
  
X23 sat back in her chair and was quiet. Everyone waited for her to respond, and when she didn't, Xavier spoke up. "We do need your assistance, it is my opinion, as well as the others, that you are the only person suitable to do this. And to put it none too bluntly, we need him out of the mansion."  
  
X23 glanced back at Mark, then stared at Logan for a moment. "What resources do I get?"  
  
Xavier smiled and answered for him. "Whatever you require. Unlike what some people believe, I am not just tossing him out on the street." Logan just ground his teeth. "I already have a warehouse here in Bayville rented that you can use. Also, I took the liberty of setting up an account for expenses." He leaned forward and slid a leather pouch across the desk to her. "That contains cash for you to use in the interim as well as directions and keys to the warehouse."  
  
Logan spoke. "It's a sweet deal. Better than where you were."  
  
She scowled at him for a moment before reaching up and grabbing the pouch. Popping the seal, she quickly verified the contents. "I'll need identification and records. I'm fourteen years old. It's going to look rather suspicious. How do I have this money, why do I live with a guy, why do we live without supervision, and why am I not going to school?"  
  
Logan held up a hand and raised a finger as he ticked off her questions. "First, you inherited the money. Second, a few more days, and Chuck thinks that he will be normal enough to go to school, so that means you will be also." She scowled at that. "And for the last two, you aren't just living with a guy, you're livin with em both." He gestured behind to Kitty and Mark.  
  
Kitty's face dropped open in shock. Interrupting, she opened her mouth and sputtered out "What? Like why am I going? That's what she is here for isn't it?"  
  
Logan looked at Xavier. "You didn't tell her Chuck?"  
  
Xavier shook his head. "I was preoccupied with other matters at the time."  
  
Logan scowled and looked back at X23. "And as for why you are there without supervision, Chuck set up a back history. Your father is away on business trips most of the time so he brought your cousin.." He gestured at Mark. "...who is an adult, to keep an eye on you. He failed his freshman year, so he got held back."  
  
X23 just rolled her eyes. "That's the best you can come up with?"  
  
Logan just smirked. "Well, it's either that, or you two are from California." Everyone but Xavier just looked blankly at him. His smirk grew into a full-fledged grin as Xavier handed him a small cloth bag and he tossed it to her. She opened it and two rings came tumbling into her hand. She looked at them closely before staring back at him, still not understanding. Logan fought to contain his laughter. "Let me put it this way kids. In California, you can get hitched at fourteen, with your parents hash marks."  
  
Kitty made a strangled sound and blurted out. "WHAT? That's just.just..eww!" Mark turned and glanced at her for a second before looking at whatever had caused her outburst. He focused on the rings in her hand for a moment before looking back at Kitty.  
  
X23 dropped the rings back in the bag and tossed it back to Kitty. "You deal with it."  
  
Kitty's face turned blood red and she looked in danger of either blowing a gasket, or passing out. After a few seconds, she croaked out. "Hell no Professor." She grabbed Mark's arm and hauled him to his feet and dragged him near X23. "Like meet your cousin." And then she dropped Mark's arm like it was hot.  
  
Mark just looked down at X23 with a blank expression for a few seconds. He finally sniffed the air a few times then turned and walked off towards the window and just looked out it.  
  
X23's eyes tracked him the entire time and she had a thoughtful look on her face. Glancing back at Kitty and Logan, she spoke. "Fine." She stood and stuffed the leather pouch under her belt. "I'll need ID's for both of us by the end of today." She glanced at Xavier. "Use Jennifer for my first name and Price as the last name. And make me sixteen, I'll need to drive." She turned and glared at Kitty. "Come on." She thrust a finger at Mark. "And bring him." She then turned and strode out of the room.  
  
Kitty just gaped. Finally, she turned to Logan and the Professor. "Um.maybe this is like a bad idea." Her face hardened. "And why the hell do I have to like move in with them? Kinda defeats the whole purpose doesn't it?"  
  
Xavier leaned back in his chair. "Not exactly Kitty. It's purely temporary I assure you. From the development I've seen so far, it should be only a matter of days before Mark can function independently." He raised his hands to his chin. "Unfortunately, until that happens, we need you to stay close to him so he can absorb more of your knowledge." He tapped his fingers on his chin once before finishing. "And to make sure they don't kill each other."  
  
Kitty was quiet for a moment before her shoulders slumped. "Do I have to like go to school while I'm there? Keeping him out of trouble is totally a full-time job!"  
  
Xavier smiled. "Unfortunately, yes Kitty. This has kept you out of school long enough. Education is important."  
  
Kitty just grimaced. "Fine Professor. But if I don't get my homework done, it's not my fault." She turned and grabbed Mark's arm. "Come on, let's like go already." Both of them stood and left the room.  
  
Logan watched them walk out before turning back to Xavier. "Well Chuck. This seemed a lot better of a plan before we actually told them about it. How do we know that the soldiers aren't going to track them to that warehouse?"  
  
Xavier nodded. "I understand your concerns Logan. And I share them with you. However, the warehouse has access to a bomb shelter and I'm sure that between X23 and Mark, they could escape into the sewers if anything went seriously wrong. Kitty I'm not worried about to be quite honest. She has matured in the last few days and her danger room sessions are going extremely well. She can also just phase through the floor if needed."  
  
Logan just sat staring at him for a moment. "True, but who do we have watching em?"  
  
Xavier smiled. "I wondered how long until you brought that up. As a matter of fact, the entire warehouse is covered with surveillance equipment. The alarms will ring here in the mansion, and it is within Kurt's teleporting radius." They are as safe as they can be. Or as safe as we can make it for them. Besides, Kitty will only be there a few days."  
  
Logan ground his teeth. "And the other two Xavier? Ain't ya just a little bit worried about them?"  
  
Xavier closed his eyes. "Of course Logan, but their track records show clearly that they both will never fit in here. Not only by their very personalities, but by the fact that they both have well-organized, well- funded, and very obsessed groups attempting to retrieve them. They can't be here. I have to think of the other students first."  
  
Logan growled. "Yea, easier that way isn't it?" He stood up and started walking to the door. He spoke over his shoulder. "And X23 is fine, we are the only people that know she's alive."  
  
Xavier opened his eyes and sat his hands down on the desk. "Actually Logan. I took the liberty of informing Mr. Fury about her existence while you were inbound with her."  
  
Logan whirled around. "Goddamnit Xavier! Do you have 'any' idea what she had to go through to disappear? And you just stood up and fucked her over."  
  
Xavier blinked. He thought Logan would welcome the news. After all, she was going to need employment eventually. He opened his mouth to respond when Logan interrupted. "She told me SHIELD wants her as well. She's out of the soldier business. She's trying to just be normal, that's why she hid." He kicked the door open. "Think about this shit before you jump off a cliff Xavier." With that, he strode out and slammed the door shut.  
  
Xavier slumped into his chair. -Tomorrow, he'll see I'm right.-- 


	19. Chapter 18

Feral Bonds Chapter 18  
  
Happy freaking Halloween  
  
It's disclaimer time: Don't own it now, won't own it in the future. Don't sue. Only thing I do own is Mark and the circumstances behind the story. (Here comes the ego talking) If you want to use any of this, ask. If you want to archive this somewhere else, just let me know before you do. (End ego talking)  
  
The reviewer known as Me: Ick, that has to be one of the most disgusting pairings I've heard of yet. Well, except for a Kurt/Mystique I saw. To quote Kitty, "Ewwww."  
  
Trunksblue: Yep, but it has a purpose. Might not see it for a while, but it does have a purpose.  
  
Inuyasha0001: Thanks, I hope I make it interesting.  
  
Kiki: Glad you like it.  
  
Spoiler for Ascension in case you haven't seen it and personal comments.  
  
AN: Jesus Christ. I just saw Ascension pt2. If that isn't the most depressing episode in the world, I don't know what is. Very cool, but depressing. Hell, I had to stop writing this chapter and start over, it had turned into a festering pile of angst. At least it shows X23 as an X-man as well as Rogue with flight. If they end Evo there, I'm gonna be disappointed.  
  
End Spoiler & Personal Rant.  
  
_Mansion_  
  
Kitty led Mark out into the foyer. She took a quick glance around and saw X23 standing next to a group picture of the students in their school clothes. She just stood motionless with her hands at her sides, staring at the photo. Kitty took a few steps towards her before X23 seemed to shake herself and spun around. "Are you ready yet? You're wasting time."  
  
Kitty mentally groaned. Then pointed at what X23 was wearing. "You totally can't go out wearing that uniform."  
  
X23 looked down and grabbed a handful of the fabric. She gave it a single tug before looking back up. "I don't really give a shit what I wear. Let's get going."  
  
Kitty sighed. "Well, the Professor will care. Wearing an X-man uniform out in public is like, a little obvious, don't you think?"  
  
X23 narrowed her eyes and glared at her for a moment. "Fine. What do you plan to do about it?"  
  
Kitty tapped her chin and got a look of concentration. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up. "I know, you can get something out of Amara's room. You're about the same size." Her eyes clouded over for a moment before clearing. "Well, after that, I guess we can get Jubilee to like take us to the mall or something."  
  
X23 went real still for a moment. Finally shaking herself, she turned and started walking towards the stairs. "Fine."  
  
Kitty grabbed Mark's arm and pulled him up the stairs to the New Mutant's hallway.  
  
Mark walked behind her, occasionally looking at the doors they passed. Coming up to the area he fought in the night before, he started sniffing the area. X23 turned and looked at him. Kitty turned and tried to figure out what he was doing, the only thing she could feel was curiosity. Mark bent down to the floor and wiped his fingers along the wood. Bringing them up to his face, he took a deep sniff and scowled. Standing, he walked over and grabbed a door. He shook the door handle finding it locked. He frowned at it for a second before his claws slipped out of his fist and he ripped a hole around the lock.  
  
Kitty started to reach out to him when X23 grabbed her shoulder and held her back. Kitty whipped around and looked at her questioningly. X23 sniffed the air and looked at the door intently, ignoring Kitty's look. Kitty started to struggle out of her grip when X23 bit out. "Wait."  
  
Mark swung the door open and stepped in. Kitty realized it was an empty room that hadn't been used for a while. Taking a deep breath, a cloyingly sweet scent filled her nostrils. She waved her hands in front of her face in a vain attempt to clear the air. A few small thumps were heard from the room. She turned her head and once again tried to get answers from X23, who was still ignoring her.  
  
X23 started scowling heavily and her eyes narrowed. Kitty looked back at the door and saw Mark walking back out of the dark room. She was about to ask him what was going on when she saw that he was dragging a body behind him.  
  
Mark had his hand wrapped around the forearm of one of the soldiers from the night before. He looked at her blankly for a second before turning and walking down the stairs, the body scraping the floor behind him. Kitty shivered and closed her eyes for a moment. She finally walked over and glanced in the room and saw the rubble strewn across the floor and the hole leading to the roof in the back wall. Hearing footsteps behind her, she saw X23 disappear down the stairs. She dragged the door closed on the stinking room and chased after them.  
  
X23 followed a few meters behind Mark, observing him. Taking a closer look at the corpse, she saw the way it's head flopped back and forth. Obviously he had broke his neck somehow, and by the scent, it happened last night. Her head snapped up when she heard a sharp intake of breath and a body hitting the floor. She saw one of the poorly trained children swooning at the sight of a corpse. -Truly pathetic.- She wondered what would have happened if the girl had seen the room. The soldier had somehow gotten his wrists slit and had bled out on the floor.  
  
Mark had just passed the kitchen doors when the sound of dishes and utensils clattering to the table and floor filtered into the hallway. The sound of footsteps running came and Ray stuck his head out. He stared at Mark for a moment before muttering, "That is so creepy." and drawing his head back in.  
  
Kitty caught up to Mark and spoke. "Where are you going? And why with that.." She gestured vaguely at the body. "..thing?"  
  
Mark just continued to drag the body behind him, but he did turn his head. "I know him."  
  
Kitty step faltered. "From where?"  
  
At that, Mark did stop. He was quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He finally looked between her and X23 before answering. "From home."  
  
Kitty just looked at him blankly. Home? He didn't have a home. And certainly not a place with soldiers.  
  
Mark waited a second for her to respond. Finally seeing that she wasn't going to, he started walking again. Kitty finally realized what he was talking about. The facility in Colorado they got him out of. X23 brushed past her and caught her eyes for an instant before continuing down the hall. Kitty shivered at the eye contact, there wasn't anyone home in X23's eyes.  
  
_Garage_  
  
Logan dropped the bag of tools onto the floor and spread out the drop cloth. Easing himself down, he started pulling the transmission off his blue bike. He had gotten the casing off and was about to start on the gears when he caught the sweet scent of decay. Furrowing his brow, he dropped the ratchet and stood. He scanned the garage and the part of the grounds he could see through the door, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He had just about decided to go inside when the screen door popped open. he turned and saw Mark dragging the body behind him. He stiffened for a second before he caught another drift of the decay. He wiped his hands off and walked towards Mark.  
  
Mark had obviously caught sight of him and had changed his course to intercept. Logan inwardly flinched when he saw Kitty and X23 walk through the door. Kitty seemed to be taking the past few days remarkably well, he had figured that she would have been a crying wreck by now, but she seemed to handle the blood and gore like an old soldier inurned to the horrors of war. He supposed that it had something to do with that mystical mumbo-jumbo Chuck had put into their heads.  
  
X23 was taking the entire scenario about how he would have thought she would, stoic and unflappable. As he got closer, he noticed the utterly dead look in her eyes and something inside him shivered. He'd seen those eyes a hundred times, mostly on fellow soldiers back in ww2 after a particularly bad day, or week, or life. Something had hit her, and hit her hard in the past few minutes, and he didn't think that it could have anything to do with a dead body.  
  
Mark met Logan in front of one of the Professor's cars. They stared into each others eyes for a moment, each daring the other to start talking. Finally Mark dropped the arm to the floor and spoke. "I know him."  
  
Logan's eyes widened. This was good news, of a sort. They at least knew what they were dealing with. Mark leaned down and let a claw slip out. He grabbed the material of the BDU and tore the left sleeve off. He tossed the sleeve to the side and pointed to a tattoo on the bicep.  
  
Logan turned the arm to get a better look, already half-knowing what he was going to see. The bicep came into full view and his guess was proved right. There it was, in all it's glory; the eagle, anchor, and earth symbol of the USMC. He squeezed the arm a bit and took a closer look, it seemed fairly fresh of a tattoo, maybe a year old.  
  
Kitty spoke out. "He said that he was from his home." She pointed at Mark. Logan just nodded and turned back to the corpse. Quickly searching for some sort of ID, he noticed that there were no dog tags, no nothing.  
  
Standing and walking over to the wall, he jabbed a button on the intercom. A few seconds later, Xavier's voice crackled out. "Yes Logan?"  
  
Logan looked back at the three teens. Or two teens and one..whatever. "Got confirmation Chuck. It's the same group that ran the facility. Mark found a corpse and brought it to me. No ID, but it's got a Marine tattoo."  
  
The intercom was silent for a second before Xavier's voice once again crackled to life. "I'll get in touch with some of my contacts and see if we can't start tracing them back to the source."  
  
Logan glanced back at the three. "Sure Chuck. I'll get the kids over to the warehouse. Figure it out."  
  
Kitty glanced at the thoughtful expression on Logan's face and started to fidget. Finally she reached out and grabbed Mark's arm. "Let's go." Mark turned and walked after her, leaving X23 and Logan alone. They just stared at each other for the better part of a minute before X23 just nodded and walked off in the direction the other two had left in. Logan just stood still for a moment before exhaling and starting to clean up his tools.  
  
_Amara's room_  
  
Kitty opened the door to Amara's room and slipped in, dragging Mark behind her. She flicked on a lamp and looked around the room with a clouded expression on her face. She shook her head and sat Mark down at the desk and told him to stay there. She started digging in the closet and occasional grunts floated out. Mark looked up from the desk when X23 silently slipped into the room. She froze for an instant when she saw Mark's eyes on her, but she continued to the closet. Standing behind Kitty, she remained silent while the preppy teen continued to rifle through the closet. She was about to say something when Kitty stopped suddenly and slowly backed out of the closet holding a leather halter and ring choker. A ghost of a smile crept onto her face and her thumb stroked the top. She grinned and turned around. She almost screamed when she came practically nose to nose with X23.  
  
Taking a step back and putting a hand to her chest, she spoke. "You totally scared the heck out of me. Make some noise or something next time." X23 just let a feral grin slide onto her face. Kitty stared for a second before rolling her eyes. She looked down at the top and she held it out. "You should wear this, the outfit is incredible."  
  
X23 took the halter and turned it over. She snorted and dropped it to the floor. "We are going into hiding, not starting a dominatrix club." She stepped past Kitty and grabbed a jean jacket, t-shirt and jeans. Showing them to her, she spoke. "These are inconspicuous."  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Yea, and boring as." her voice cut off when X23 stripped off the uniform. Kitty spun around and grabbed Mark's arm, turning him to face the wall, she dug her fingers into his bicep when he tried to turn back around. She called over her shoulder. "Like, what is it with you people? Adnamantium leach your modesty or something?"  
  
X23 blinked and looked at herself. Raising her head and looking Kitty in the eyes, she spoke. "It's just a body. What's your problem?" She tugged on the jeans and buttoned them before sliding the t-shirt over her head. Reaching back and grabbing the jacket, she moved around a bit. "The fit is good. This will do for now. Let's get moving." A ghost of a grin appeared on her face. "Unless you want to stand there cutting his circulation off."  
  
Kitty looked back and saw Mark rubbing his arm, again. She rolled her eyes. "Let's go Mark."  
  
_Garage_  
  
Logan tossed open the side door of the van when he heard the three teens walk out the door. He turned and leaned back against the van and just watched them. X23 still looked focused and whatever got in her way would have hell to pay. Kitty was more than obviously angry. -Who knows why with that kid anymore.- Mark was stepping carefully behind both of them, his face and eyes empty. He waited until Kitty tossed a bag into the back seat before speaking. "Xavier got these done for you while you were playing dress up." He handed X23 an envelope.  
  
She growled before snatching it out of his hands and tearing it open. She dumped a wallet and palm pilot out into her hands. Flipping the wallet open, she flipped through the cards, verifying her new ID and bank cards before shoving it in a jacket pocket. She looked back up at Logan and gestured with the pilot. He nodded. "That's your copy of the records you need. You know, school transcript, history, that kind of thing. It also has the full text of the report you were reading earlier."  
  
She nodded and dropped it into the leather pouch she was carrying. She grabbed the frame of the van and hopped in. Kitty and Mark soon followed and shut the door. Logan started the van and pulled out.  
  
_Warehouse_  
  
Logan pulled the van to a stop next to an old warehouse in the industrial section of Bayville. He hit a remote and the doors ground open. He pulled in and closed the doors. "Ok, everyone out. Say hi to your new home."  
  
Kitty phased through the door and took a look around. There was a whole freaking lot of..nothing. The door opened behind her and Mark stepped out, quickly followed by X23. She turned to Logan. "Mr. Logan, there's like nothing here!"  
  
Logan just looked around before turning to her. "It's a warehouse Half- Pint, what did ya expect?"  
  
X23 looked off to the side. "There's a door." She then grabbed the leather pouch and walked off. Mark tapped Kitty on the shoulder and nodded towards X23. Kitty sighed. "Yea, let's go." She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her.  
  
X23 reached the door and used the key Xavier had given her to open it. She stuck her head in and flipped on a light switch. A hallway with five doors came into view. She took a sniff before heading to the nearest door and opening it. She tossed the pouch in and closed the door. She turned back to Kitty and Mark. "Settle in. Kitty, bring Mark out into the warehouse in an hour, training is going to start."  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. Logan caught it and laughed. "You kids have fun." With that, he turned and walked back to the van and left.  
  
Kitty sighed and looked at Mark, who was just standing there looking at her. She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards a room. "This totally sucks." She swore she heard a snicker behind her. 


	20. Chapter 19

Feral Bonds Chapter 19  
  
Inuyasha0001: Appreciate it.  
  
Trunksblue: Thanks, I had to toss a little humor in there at the end, it needed it.  
  
Morgannia: Glad you liked it. As for more Mark interaction, in my mind, I haven't really written him at all yet anywhere in this story. For now, he is an infant, with on one side, the scarcest beginnings of a unique human personality. And on the other, a vicious killer. So previously, he really didn't have any thoughts, at all. However, as Xavier alluded, he will be up to speed enough to attend school soon; hopefully at that point; there will be more real interaction.  
  
AN1: Sorry for the long delay on this. I had some other things going on and to be totally honest, I burned out writing this. That, and I went back through the master copy of the story and fixed the extra words, spelling errors, and did a grammar check. Should I reupload the fixed story or just leave it the way it is and just e-mail the corrected version to people that request it?  
  
AN2: Gonna use [text] for thoughts from now on. It just looks better.  
  
_Kitty's room_  
  
Kitty sighed for the third time in the fact five minutes as she tried to get comfortable on the portable cot she was using as a bed. [Stupid cot. Stupid warehouse. Arrrrggg.] She finally just stood up and shoved the contents of her duffel into the metal dresser while periodically growling and kicking the dresser. Eventually smashing a finger in a drawer, she gave it one last kick and looked at the clock. She saw that she was already late for X23's session. [I hope she isn't like Mr. Logan.] She quickly put on her uniform and phased through the wall into Mark's room.  
  
_Mark's room_  
  
Kitty popped out of the wall and came to a screeching halt. She looked around the dark room and had almost decided he had left when she caught a flutter of motion in a corner. She walked over to the door and was about to flip on the light switch when X23 swung the door open. Kitty froze and waited for the inevitable lecture about being late. To her surprise, it didn't happen. X23 just looked at her for a second before flipping on the switch. Kitty blinked her eyes so they could adjust and saw X23 just staring into the room.  
  
X23 turned and nodded to the room. "He normally do that?"  
  
Kitty looked at her in confusion before looking where X23 had nodded. What she saw almost drove her to tears. And it would have, if a tide of embarrassment hadn't washed over her. In the corner of the room, Mark was naked and curled into a fetal ball, his head tucked under an arm. A position not that dissimilar from what she had seen on the tapes in the Colorado lab. He had pushed the dresser and cot to the opposite corner and was just lying on the cold metal floor. Kitty sputtered for a moment before choking out a strangled "Mark!"  
  
Mark's head popped up at her voice. He just stared at her blankly. Kitty was still trying to form a coherent thought when X23 shoved her to the side and walked by.  
  
X23 walked over to the cot and grabbed the clothes he had been wearing. She went over to Mark and slipping her free hand under his arm, pulled him to his feet. She heard Kitty sputter a bit more behind her, but she ignored it. She pushed the clothes into his chest and looked him square in the eyes. "Get dressed."  
  
Mark and X23 just stared at each other for a minute. She pushed the bundle harder and he grabbed it. Looking down at the bundle for an instant, he quickly started dressing himself. X23 turned back to a still red-faced Kitty. "You never answered my question. Does he do that often?"  
  
Kitty dragged her eyes from Mark to X23 and hesitated for a moment. "I don't like know. The only time I've seen him sleep was when he was in my room." She saw X23's eyebrow rise at that and she realized exactly how what she said could be taken. Her blush grew redder. "It's totally not like that! Mr. Logan put us in there after the Professor did his head job thing." The eyebrow didn't lower. "We were totally unconscious!"  
  
X23 snorted then looked at Mark again. "Come on. Time to start." She then turned and strode out of the room. Kitty looked at Mark, but didn't make eye contact. "Do you normally sleep like that?"  
  
Mark thought about it for a second. "Yes."  
  
Kitty started and looked up. "Why? I mean the cot totally sucks, but it's better than the floor."  
  
Mark looked at her as if she had grown another head. "I have always slept like that."  
  
Kitty blinked at that. That was the most coherent thing he had said yet. Deciding to push a little harder, she asked, "Didn't you ever have a bed?"  
  
Mark shrugged. "No. Only the floor."  
  
Kitty was about to ask him to elaborate when X23 poked her head in. "Get out here. Both of you."  
  
Mark walked up and waited for Kitty to leave before following. He stopped just outside the door and stood still for a second before turning and closing the door behind him, an action unnoticed by the other two.  
  
_Kitchen_  
  
Kitty and Mark walked into the quickly assembled kitchen. Kitty looked around and took a mental inventory of everything they had. Still going over the list, she missed what X23 had started saying. A hand on her shoulder brought her back to her senses. Blinking quickly, she turned around and faced X23.  
  
X23 gave her a slight frown before shaking her head. "Sit down. Meal training is first."  
  
She led Kitty over to the shaky folding table. Someone, probably X23, had already set three places and had a standard dinner set out. Kitty sat down next to X23 and across the table from Mark. Mark just looked at her with an expectant look. Kitty sighed and grabbed the bowl of salad. She started to serve herself when X23 grabbed her wrist.  
  
X23 glared at her until she put the bowl back down. She nodded and turned to address Mark. "Ok. Most places in this country still say grace before they begin a meal. Dinner is the only time you will really have to worry about it happening, but other meals are possible as well." She folded her hands and bowed her head for a moment before looking at Mark. "This is an acceptable position to take during the grace period. The vast majority of America is Christian, so you really only have to learn this to blend in. Do you understand?"  
  
Mark furrowed his eyes for a moment before nodding and looking at Kitty. He spoke. "It doesn't feel right though."  
  
Kitty looked at him wide-eyed for a second before blurting. "You're getting that from me Mark. I'm Jewish." Mark's brow lowered in thought and Kitty continued. "Don't worry about it; just learn what she is teaching you." Mark nodded.  
  
X23 gave an impatient snort. "Fine. Assume the position, both of you." Kitty and Mark both folded their hands and bowed their heads. X23 continued. "A standard grace will thank a God for the food and a plea for continued good luck. Normally, you will keep your eyes closed until the person speaking the prayer says 'amen', at which time it's permissible to start serving food." She ran through a stock prayer and nodded when Mark waited with his eyes closed until she finished. "Good. Now serve yourself."  
  
Mark looked at the array of bowls and plates between him and Kitty with a blank look. X23 waited a moment before starting to tap her fingers on the table. "Well? At this point, you need to start dishing the food onto your plate."  
  
Mark looked at the bowls and sniffed before looking at her. "Where is the food?"  
  
Kitty blinked before gesturing at everything on the table. "Its right here Mark. Everything on the table is food."  
  
Mark picked up a sliver of chicken with his fingers and sniffed it delicately. "It doesn't smell like food."  
  
X23 narrowed her eyes and spoke. "What does food smell like?"  
  
Mark sat back and thought deeply for a moment before responding. "Like that." He was pointing towards the trashcan on the other side of the room.  
  
X23 snorted and turned to Kitty. "They fed him a mash. It's nutritionally sound, but smells like rotten garbage." Kitty nodded. X23 looked back at Mark. "This is all food. Eat it."  
  
Mark reached out and was about to stick his hand into the bowl of mac&cheese when Kitty reached out and grabbed his wrist. "No Mark. Don't use your hands, use this." She handed him a spoon. He looked between it and Kitty for a moment before spooning it out onto his plate. Kitty served herself the salad and waited for him to finish. Mark kept spooning out more and more of the pasta. X23 finally tapped her hand on the table and got his attention. He stared at her and she spoke. "That's enough for now. Normal portions are smaller than that." Mark looked at his plate and nodded.  
  
They continued with the meal, only rarely stopping for Kitty or X23 to either correct his behavior, or to explain a point. X23 was content with the behavior Mark had learned and seemingly understood. Kitty was still apprehensive about it, but she didn't express her opinion past a frown here and there.  
  
They had just finished and Mark sat on his chair silently. Kitty looked at him and tapped her chin. "Well, I guess that's that. Come on Mark, let's get you back to your room." She stood and reached for his arm to lead him back, but he surprised her by standing and walking out of the kitchen without her. She stood staring for a moment before she bolted out after him. X23 glanced between the now empty doorway and the table before snorting. "Clean up next time."  
  
_Hallway outside Mark's Room_  
  
Kitty trailed a few feet behind Mark as he walked down the hallway. She wanted to ask him if everything was all right, but his unusual display of independence threw her off and she couldn't form a coherent sentence. She started to reach out to grab his arm a few times, but never went as far as making contact with him. Mark stopped next to his door and glanced over his shoulder at Kitty before opening his door and stepping inside. Kitty went to follow him, but was stopped abruptly when the door swung shut and almost hit her. She jerked back a step and stared at the door. [He slammed a door in my face!]  
  
She scowled at the offending door for a moment before knocking. She was greeted by nothing but silence. She knocked at the door again not getting a response. "Mark! Open the door or I'm coming in!"  
  
A few seconds later Mark opened the door and stared at her. Kitty just stood silently, momentarily taken aback by the intense expression on his face. Mark's eyebrow rose in question and that broke Kitty out of her stupor. "Like, what is going on with you today? It's totally rude to shut the door in someone's face like that."  
  
Mark's eyebrow lowered and his face became blank again. Kitty was about to start her lecturing again when Mark cut in. "It's privacy. Correct?"  
  
Kitty gaped again, still unused to Mark showing anything besides rage and utter submission. She finally pulled her thoughts back together. "Yes, it is. But it's still rude to close a door in my face." She huffed and crossed her arms.  
  
Mark stood there, face crunched up in concentration for a moment before looking her right in the eyes. "Ok." With that, he turned and walked back into the room, leaving Kitty standing in front of an open door.  
  
Kitty blinked once then shrugged and walked in the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
_Mark's Room_  
  
Kitty reached out and flipped on the light switch, bathing the small room in what she considered to be a hellish fluorescent light. Mark had walked over to the corner and had begun pulling his shirt over his head. Kitty 'eeped' and blurted out. "Stop that!"  
  
Mark half turned and looked at her expectantly, his shirt still half pulled off. Kitty Walked forward, grabbed the hem of the shirt, and pulled it back down. A loud sigh escaped her as she looked at Mark as if he was a broken toy. "Ok. Listen. That." She pointed to the cot. ".is where you sleep. Not on the floor, not in the corner, in that bed." She pointed at the cot again for emphasis.  
  
Mark looked at the cot for a second before shrugging again. He stepped forward and started stripping again, this time starting on his jeans. Kitty clenched her fists for a moment in frustration. "Mark. Don't take off your clothes."  
  
Mark blinked. "Why?"  
  
Kitty blinked herself. She could feel that this was the first time he had really questioned 'why' he should do something she said to, not just asking why as a request for more information. Looking him right in the eyes, she spoke. "Because I told you to. You 'never' take your clothes off in front of someone else. Understand me?"  
  
Mark's eyes clouded over for a second before he responded. "Why?"  
  
Kitty ground her teeth before speaking. "Because, you just don't."  
  
Mark continued to stare at her. "But why?"  
  
Kitty's vision started to mist red. She dug her nails into her palm in an attempt to calm herself before responding.  
  
Needless to say, she failed. Rather impressively to be honest.  
  
Kitty blew up. "BECAUSE I TOLD YOU TO THAT'S WHY!"  
  
Mark cocked his head to the side, looking at her with an unreadable expression. Kitty wasn't done though. "Well? Do you understand me or not?" Mark just stood there. "Well? Answer me dammit!"  
  
Mark had opened his mouth to say something when the door opened behind her. Kitty whipped her head around and stared daggers at X23. She bit out. "What?"  
  
X23 glanced between her and Mark for a second before the corner of her mouth twitched upwards. "Lover's spat?"  
  
Kitty's face turned crimson and she started visibly quaking. She screamed, "IT'S NOTHING LIKE THAT! AND YOU KNOW IT GOD DAMMIT!" before spinning on her heal and stomping out of the room. A few seconds later, a door was slammed closed down the hall.  
  
X23 face twisted into a full-blown smile for an instant before she willed it back into her 'operative' mode and lost any hint of amusement. She turned to Mark. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day, get some sleep."  
  
Mark nodded and laid down on the cot. X23 looked at him for a second before speaking. "It's really not a good idea to sleep in your clothes."  
  
Mark opened his eyes and looked at her. "Kitty told me to keep my pants on."  
  
X23 let a single chuckle escape before turning and walking to the door. She looked over her shoulder and was quiet for a moment before looking back out the door. "Good night." With that, she flipped the lights off and closed the door behind her. 


End file.
